AI-powered chat summaries are coming to WhatsApp

Meta is including a brand new Message Summaries feature to WhatsApp that makes use of AI to summarize unread messages in just a few bullet factors. The function is constructed on the Private Processing technique Meta introduced at Llamacon in April, and claims to let AI work with content material in WhatsApp with out exposing any of it to Meta itself.

As soon as the function seems in your app, you simply faucet on the onscreen banner over your unread messages with that claims “Summarize privately” to obtain a abstract from Meta AI. The Message Summaries function is rolling out to WhatsApp customers within the US chatting in English first, however Meta says it hopes to “deliver it to different languages and nations later this yr.”

The corporate pitches summaries as a neater approach to catch-up on what you missed if you have not checked your cellphone otherwise you’re simply in too many chats. AI is in no way foolproof at even easy duties like this — Apple’s trouble with notification summaries was just a few months in the past — however the instrument could possibly be interesting to individuals in significantly giant and lively chats.

The actual novelty of the summaries is how Meta claims to be deploying them with out strolling again the personal nature of WhatsApp chats. The corporate has a blog post and whitepaper digging into the main points of how Personal Processing works, however on first blush it sounds just like Private Cloud Compute, the tactic Apple makes use of to name on extra demanding AI options with out exposing its customers’ knowledge. Utilizing end-to-end encryption and a safe cloud surroundings, WhatsApp messages will be processed with out knowledge being accessed whereas its occurring, or saved after the actual fact.

Importantly, all of that is nonetheless non-obligatory. Summaries will not be offered with out you asking for them first, and the function is disabled by default. Meta additionally says you’ll be able to exclude chats from being shared with the corporate’s AI by way of the Advanced Chat Privacy function.