Meta Expands Testing of AI Chatbot Across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger in India and Africa

Meta is testing Meta AI, its significant language model-powered chatbot, with WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger users in India and parts of Africa. The move signals how Meta plans to tap massive user bases across its various apps to scale its AI offerings.

According to multiple sources, the social media giant recently began testing the AI chatbot, which was previously only available in a few areas, including the United States, with specific users in India. With over 500 million WhatsApp users, India is the largest instant messaging service market.

Meta confirmed the change in a statement. “Our generative AI-powered experiences are under development in varying phases, and we’re testing a range of them publicly in a limited capacity,” according to a spokesperson for Meta.

Introduction of Meta AI

Meta unveiled Meta AI, its general-purpose assistant, in late September. The AI chatbot is designed to answer user queries directly within chats and enable them to generate photorealistic images from text prompts.

Moreover, WhatsApp’s massive global user base, boasting over 2 billion monthly active users, gives Meta a unique opportunity to scale its AI offerings. By integrating AI into WhatsApp, the Facebook-parent firm can expose its advanced language model and image generation capabilities to an enormous audience, potentially dwarfing the reach of its competitors.

Furthermore, the company separately confirmed earlier this week that it will launch Llama 3, the next version of its open-source large language model, within the next month.

Minimum Age Requirement for WhatsApp Usage

WhatsApp has also revealed this week a range of new safety features designed to protect users, in particular young people, from “sextortion” and intimate image abuse.

It confirmed the commencement of testing for a filter named Nudity Protection in Direct Messages (DMs) on Instagram. This filter will default to active for users aged under 18 and will automatically blur images detected as containing nudity before sending them to users.

When receiving nude images, users will also see a message urging them not to feel pressure to respond and an option to block the sender and report the chat.