WhatsApp gets Meta’s new AI chatbot. Here’s how it works

In response to the intensifying competition in the AI race, Meta has decided to infuse its AI capabilities into popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. At the Meta Connect 2023 event, the company announced the integration of an AI chatbot into WhatsApp, initially limited to users in the United States. Recent reports from WABetaInfo reveal that the latest WhatsApp beta for Android introduces a shortcut button, strategically placed in the ‘Chats’ section, allowing users quick access to the AI chatbot without navigating through their conversation list. The new AI chatbot button, positioned atop the ‘New Chat’ button, is designed to streamline user interaction and facilitate easy access to the chatbot’s assistance. Capable of answering questions, providing customer support, and assisting with tasks like scheduling appointments, the AI chatbot leverages Meta’s latest large language model research and the powerful Llama 2 model. During the Meta Connect event, Mark Zuckerberg showcased the AI chatbot’s versatility, enabling users to plan trips, receive recommendations, enjoy witty jokes, settle group chat debates, and serve as an informative source similar to other AI models like ChatGPT, Bard, or Bing. Meta emphasized its collaboration with Microsoft’s Bing Chat to enhance the chatbot’s capabilities, enabling real-time web results. Notably, Meta’s AI assistant introduces an intriguing feature allowing users to generate realistic images from scratch using a simple ‘/imagine’ command, akin to text-to-image generators such as MidJourney and Bing Image Creator. The company emphasizes that these features are provided free of charge. Simultaneously, WhatsApp is undergoing enhancements, with a new feature being tested for Android beta testers in version 2.23.24.11. This feature enables users to filter and view status updates in a vertical list, simplifying access to muted status updates. Some beta testers may also notice a “See all” button that swiftly displays a vertical list of their status updates. Within this section, users have access to four filters, offering a systematic categorization of status updates from contacts and facilitating a comprehensive catch-up on shared content without missing any updates.