WHATSAPP users have blasted a new in-app feature which uses private data from chats – claiming the tool is unnecessary and unreliable.
The Meta-owned app is rolling out a new tool that can whip up a rundown of missed messages with AI – saving users from scrolling through texts.
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But many have slammed the feature, with some saying that no one had asked for it, and others claiming its analysis of chats would not be accurate.
The feature uses Meta AI to scan chats and spit out a bullet point summary of all unread messages.
Footage showing the feature in action showed how the tool is activated by tapping the button that normally lets you go through all your unread messages.
But instead of just showing the texts, the app generates a short summary of the key points.
It is designed to help people quickly catch up on busy group chats or missed conversations.
The feature uses Meta’s Private Processing technology.
According to the tech giant, neither Meta nor any third parties can will be able to see the messages analysed by the AI summary.
The summaries are also kept private within the chat, meaning no one else in the group can see them.
The AI message summaries are optional and turned off by default.
So the feature will not run automatically unless users switch them on manually.
And for users that do not want anyone in a group using summaries at all, WhatsApp includes an Advanced Privacy setting to block it.
Social media users raged online, expressing concern over how accurate these summaries would be.
One WhatsApp user said: “Who is asking for this?”
Another raged: “I’ve really got to get my family members onto Signal.”
Some seemed more hopeful for the addition, with one user saying: “It is opt-in and it is a legitimately useful feature for busy group chats.”
Addressing data concerns, the user added: “Sure, you could’ve copy-pasted all the messages into an LLM manually and let it summarize everything, Meta simply makes it easier.”
It comes after Apple’s own AI recaps were called out for being inaccurate on several occasions.
Meta has been piling AI tools into WhatsApp over the past year.
The new features include the ability to ask Meta AI questions straight from a chat.
Another recent update allowed users to generate images in real-time using AI.
And some users have complained that they have been unable to get rid of a new Meta AI button in the bottom-right corner of the app.
Others have slammed the app for bringing ads to the platform – despite its founders previously pledging that they would never want to see this.
Meta insists its Private Processing tech creates a “secure cloud environment” for using AI tools – which will not compromise privacy.
The firm will not be able to see users’ messages or their AI summaries, they said.
The AI message summary feature is rolling out in the US and only available in English.
But the company said it planned to come to more countries – including the UK – and in different languages later this year.
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