How to use WhatsApp AI safely and responsibly

Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, implemented its artificial intelligence (AI) in the instant messenger, expanding the functionalities of the application. The technology, which was already available in other countries since April 2024, took a little longer to reach Brazil due to the impositions of the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD).

WhatsApp AI is based on advanced language models, such as LLaMA (acronym for Large Language Model Meta AI), trained with large amounts of textual data to understand and generate natural language effectively. “A Meta AI is able to answer questions, give recommendations, search for news on topics of our interest 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 phase, so it contains many errors in its use. This will be improved over time, and the AI may even have its mode of use revised, as it has many opportunities for adding new services, including those related to accessibility”, he adds.

Girl or villain?Depends on use

With so many debates about the use of artificial intelligence, which has already been proven to be behind practices such as fake news and deepfake, many people are afraid to have Meta AI available on WhatsApp, without at least the possibility of disabling the feature. “A Meta reported that the content of conversations with AI can be used to train artificial intelligence algorithms, but does not associate this content with personal information of” users, reassures Pierre.

Although it has not publicly disclosed how the data will be used for ad targeting, in addition to the focus on AI training, it may be that the continued use of the tool will impact the receipt of ads and advertisements in the long term. The collection of the data, which is a common practice in the technology market, can be used for ad personalization, audience segmentation and behavior prediction, for example.

“However, my expectation is that Meta prioritizes user privacy and consent, using AI ethically and transparently to benefit both users and advertisers in line with our” legislation, the analyst opines.

Even if the technology does not have access to private conversations on WhatsApp and user data remains protected by messenger encryption, according to the AI documentation, messages shared with the tool can be used to provide relevant answers to you or to improve this technology. “Therefore, do not send messages containing information you do not want to share with AI. At least, we can delete messages sent to AI by typing /reset-all-ais into the” conversation, he 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 responsibly and carefully, always thinking about the security and privacy of personal data.For this, he shares some basic but valuable tips:

• Use AI as an auxiliary tool, not as a substitute for critical thinking;
• Use AI for tasks you consider safe and without risk to your privacy, avoiding sharing personal or sensitive information with AI in conversation;
• Avoid using AI to make important decisions;
• Research only on topics of general interest, avoiding sensitive or controversial subjects.

“It is true that, every day, it is increasingly difficult to identify whether a content was generated by AI, but there are some signs that can help you to be suspicious: unknown or doubtful source; content too good to be true; absence of information about authorship; artificial language; generic content and without originality; and lack of emotion and subjectivity”, concludes the expert.