Meta is aggressively integrating its Meta AI assistant across its platforms, including WhatsApp. The latest development, as discovered by WABetaInfo, is a dedicated widget that provides quick access to Meta AI’s features.
This follows the expansion of Meta AI within WhatsApp, moving from a floating action button to a search bar integration and in-chat tagging. The new widget offers one-tap access to text-based search, camera-based image queries, and voice input for hands-free interaction. However, the usefulness of this addition is subject to personal preference, depending on how much a user desires an AI assistant within their messaging app.
The widget’s purpose is to allow users to launch Meta AI within WhatsApp directly, without needing to open the app first. This could provide a more streamlined experience compared to switching to other AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity. Critics have questioned the increasing intrusiveness of Meta AI. Therefore, this deeper integration may be subject to criticism. Fortunately, users have the option to disable the feature. They can do so by navigating to Settings > Chats and toggling off the Meta AI button.
WhatsApp presents a valuable opportunity for Meta due to its vast user base. Widespread casual usage of Meta AI by even a fraction of its billions of users would represent a significant victory for Meta’s AI strategy. Yet, if users consistently ignore or disable the feature, it might become another failed experiment, much like Facebook’s metaverse ambitions.
