WhatsApp Trials AI Chatbot, Currently In Beta

WhatsApp Trials AI Chatbot, Currently In Beta

With every single app trying its way to infuse AI into the user experience, here we have Meta trying out such an idea in WhatsApp. Earlier this year, traces of AI chatbot have been found in another of Meta’s social platforms, Instagram – so it’s not that much of a surprise that some of that could be reworked and implemented into the chat app instead.

Per WABetaInfo, WhatsApp Android Beta (version 2.23.24.26) presents a small shortcut under the Chats tab, which provides users instant access to the feature. It looks like this feature is currently limited to US residents, which functions more like a virtual assistant rather than the more “emotional support chatbot” type that is planned on Instagram.

Based on the screenshot, the quickest way to access the AI chatbot is a small ring-shaped button situated above the ‘start new chat’ button. WABetaInfo noted that this button is for users to “quickly open the AI-powered chats, making the process faster and even more convenient for users.” Would it be a ChatGPT-like chatbot that functions like a normal chat would? We aren’t sure at this stage.

This feature is likely to initiate global rollout in the near future, though there isn’t a specific time period mentioned for this thus far. There’s also the possibility that it may even integrate itself to Meta’s other chat app, Messenger.

Pokdepinion: Wonder how this is going to work in practice.