Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has implemented its artificial intelligence (AI) in the instant messaging app, expanding its functionalities. The technology, which has been available in other countries since April 2024, took a little longer to reach Brazil due to requirements imposed by the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD).
WhatsApp's AI is based on advanced language models, such as LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI), trained with large amounts of textual data to understand and generate natural language effectively. "Meta's AI is able to answer questions, give recommendations, search for news on topics of interest to us on the web without leaving the app, and generate images and small GIFs for sharing," explains Pierre dos Santos, AI Analyst at Leste Telecom.
“However, the tool is still in Beta, so it contains many errors in its use. This will be improved over time, and the AI may even have its usage method revised, as it has many opportunities for adding new services, including those related to accessibility,” he adds.
Good girl or villain? It depends on the context.
With so much debate surrounding the use of artificial intelligence, which has already been proven to be behind practices such as fake news and deepfakes, many people are apprehensive about having Meta's AI available on WhatsApp without even the possibility of disabling the feature. "Meta has stated that the content of conversations with the AI may be used to train artificial intelligence algorithms, but it does not associate this content with users' personal information," Pierre reassures.
Although it hasn't publicly disclosed how the data will be used for ad targeting, beyond the focus on AI training, the continued use of the tool may impact ad and advertising reception in the long term. Data collection, a common practice in the technology market, can be used for ad personalization, audience targeting, and behavior prediction, for example.
“However, my expectation is that Meta will prioritize user privacy and consent, using AI ethically and transparently to benefit both users and advertisers in accordance with our legislation,” says the analyst.
Even though the technology doesn't have access to private WhatsApp conversations and user data remains protected by the messenger's encryption, according to the AI documentation, messages shared with the tool can be used to provide relevant answers for you or to improve this technology. "Therefore, do not send messages containing information you don't want to share with the AI. At the very least, we can delete messages sent to the AI by typing /reset-all-ais in the conversation," it warns.
Use sparingly.
Pierre also says that AI is a powerful tool that can be useful in various contexts. However, it is essential to use it responsibly and carefully, always keeping in mind the security and privacy of personal data. To that end, he shares some basic, yet valuable tips:
- Use AI as a tool to assist, not as a substitute for critical thinking;
- Use AI for tasks that you consider safe and without risk to your privacy, avoiding sharing personal or confidential information with the AI in the conversation;
- Avoid using AI to make important decisions;
- Search only for topics of general interest, avoiding sensitive or controversial subjects.
“It’s true that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify whether content was generated by AI, but there are some signs that can help you suspect something: unknown or dubious source; content that’s too good to be true; lack of information about authorship; artificial language; generic and unoriginal content; and lack of emotion and subjectivity,” concludes the expert.
