I have been using Meta AI artificial intelligence on WhatsApp for several weeks, that smart contact that is always there for whatever you want to ask. And, although Meta AI is a very useful addition in certain occasions, I have found certain shortcomings where WhatsApp could make an impact to improve it.
Meta AI can write texts, knows how to search for data quickly, creates images with a couple of commands and can even place me in any situation after creating a model of my face. It is an AI with enormous potential, especially since it is already integrated into WhatsApp: no other application is needed. It has not yet reached all users, but is currently expanding.
WhatsApp’s AI is fine, but it could be better
It has been in testing for a few months, it has been extended to countries such as Mexico and Argentina, it costs nothing and, once it appears on WhatsApp, there is no way to remove it: Meta AI aims to be the center of the instant messaging application. Apart from text and images, it is gradually gaining more functions, such as voice notes. And it has a great margin for improvement.
Meta AI has a way of working that, in principle, respects user privacy. WhatsApp already warns that all interactions with Meta are shared (you have to take into account what you say), but not all content is shared: AI only has access to the messages of the user who speaks to itThat is, if I use Meta AI in a group, I can only read the messages I exchange with the AI. Neither the rest of the chat nor the mentions I make to Meta AI of messages from another contact.
Meta AI can only read those messages that the user with access to the AI exchanges with it. The rest of the conversation is invisible.
With this limitation due to privacy, Meta AI is much less useful than it could be. For me, the three shortcomings of WhatsApp AI are clear.
Meta AI cannot transcribe audios
I’ve had the notes transcription on WhatsApp for iOS for a year now, but it’s still coming out on Android. And it would have been nice if I could send an audio to Meta AI so it could send it back to me converted into text. But no, it can’t interact with other people’s messages.
Meta AI cannot summarize all messages in a group
For me, it would be a tool that would completely change the way I use WhatsApp. When I enter a group where there was a bombardment of messages, I could ask the AI to give me a summary. That way, I would filter out all the memes, jokes and absurd comments to get the address of the next party, how much to pay and all that important data that are buried under the straw.
Group summaries would be that Meta AI feature that I would pay for on WhatsApp. Or Telegram, which is the same thing for that matter.
Meta AI cannot participate in a conversation
Of first, WhatsApp does not allow Meta AI to sneak into a private chat. In group conversations, she allows summoning, although, as I said, she can only read the messages of the user who calls her. This prevents joking with her and making her participate in the conversation. For example, she could act as a judge in a discussion, she could also contribute objective data to the conversation. But no, I miss that lack of interaction.
We’re still in the early days of AI in apps, so who knows how far chatbots will go. And who knows: I might not be able to get Meta AI to summarize the 200 unread messages in a group, but I might be able to do it with Gemini built into Android. Only time will tell.
Cover image | Ivan Linares