I used Meta AI on WhatsApp, and here’s everything it can do

Earlier this week, Meta announced the extension of Meta AI to more users who are a part of Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger platforms. As someone who was eager to know if the inclusion of the chatbot made a difference, Meta AI’s debut on WhatsApp had me both excited and skeptical. So, naturally, once my smartphone had access to it, I couldn’t help but dedicate the day to trying out the chatbot in all its extensiveness.

Did we really need another AI-powered assistant, especially for our social media platforms? Does it simplify my routine on the app or feel intrusive to use? All my questions were answered as soon as I began using it. 

Firstly, what is Meta AI, and how does one access it?

Meta AI is a large language model (LLM) assistant powered by Llama 3. Unlike other models such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, Meta AI does not exist as a standalone entity and is instead integrated into various platforms, such as Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp.

Currently, there is more than one way to access the chatbot across the abovementioned platforms. 

Facebook and Messenger: Meta AI on Facebook can be found on your feed while you scroll. If you find something interesting that piques your interest, you can tap on the button titled ‘Ask Meta AI’ to find out more information about the post. Similarly, on Messenger, you can type an ‘@’ into a chat to summon the AI assistant.

ALSO READ: After WhatsApp, Meta AI chatbot could soon be a part of your Instagram DMs

Instagram: Like Messenger, the Meta AI chatbot can be found in your DMs, or the search functions, to help you get refined results.

WhatsApp: On WhatsApp, users can ask Meta AI by tapping the logo present above the pencil icon on their home screen. Doing so will open a new window, much like a chat window with any of your contacts and allow you to type in your prompt. Apart from this, you can type specific questions within a group chat by addressing them directly to @MetaAI.

That said, it is important to note that Meta AI will only be able to have access to the messages it is mentioned in and will not be able to read follow-ups, responses or quotes.

5 things Meta AI can do for you on WhatsApp

Now that you’re familiar with how the chatbot can be accessed, here are five cool things it can do for you:

1. Get you quick, real-time information

Meta AI can give you real-time information when prompted. You can ask the chatbot pointed questions and get information directly within the app, eliminating the need to switch between apps or browsers. I personally enjoyed asking it for fun facts, and the chatbot simply didn’t run out of ones that could amuse me.

2. Generate content

“Meta AI, write me a poem for Father’s Day”, “Meta AI build me an itinerary” — the chatbot can rush to your aid for various types of content generation. It can even hold a regular conversation with you and help you plan your diet. I asked it to come up with a quick two-day itinerary and it also allowed me to modify the suggestions based on my preferences.

ALSO READ: How to chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp

3. Generate images

Believe it or not, Meta AI is capable of generating free, absolutely unique images. It does get creative and is great for fun, but it does find itself getting confused with slightly more complicated prompts. However, if what you’re looking for simply includes inspiration, creating illustrations, or designing things like birthday decorations, Meta AI might just be helpful for you.

4. Translate languages

Meta AI can translate various languages. While it cannot read images like Google Lens, you can copy and paste your text message into the chatbot and ask it to translate it for you. For now, the translate feature seems to have limited access to regional languages, but it seems like Meta is expanding this feature to many more in the near future.

5. Brainstorm and hold conversations

Meta AI can be your friendly side-kick on a group chat to help you ideate, brainstorm or even prove someone wrong! This means the next time someone makes a tall claim, you can always tag @MetaAI to fact-check their answer. But apart from this, it can fetch you restaurant recommendations, the nearest railway stations, and also get flight details for you.

How is Meta AI on WhatsApp?

Meta AI on WhatsApp certainly holds immense potential to transform the way we interact and collaborate. In fact, if you’re someone who often has to look up facts, convert currency or translate text online, Meta does a fantastic job at ensuring you don’t have to leave your chat window.

On the flip side, it definitely raises a few concerns about privacy and Meta’s end-to-end encryption policy. Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be a way to entirely turn off Meta AI either. While the company ensures that it only engages with the conversation it is tagged into, there is still no way to tell if the data remains private to you.

However, knowing the dire need to have this in today’s time, I’m sure Meta will come up with possibilities to keep user data private — or at least make it optional.

Apart from this, the chatbot does just about everything it claims. I also felt that it is a tad more conversational when compared with other bots like ChatGPT or Gemini.

There is still a lot more it can do, and I found limitations in certain areas; these include responding to voice prompts or its lack of regional language support.

While I could easily translate a text message from Gujarati to English using the chatbot, it couldn’t translate the message further from Gujarati to Hindi, despite having the option to do so.

Meta AI is also helpful for looking up train timetables and navigation. That said, keep in mind that it doesn’t have access to your location as of now you may just have to be a lot more specific to get the right answer.

Meta AI will also not answer sensitive information about political scenarios and religious beliefs. Several users have also mentioned the possibility of the chatbot ‘blocking’ you if you’re found asking sensitive questions over a period of time.

Of course, I didn’t want to be the one to test this claim, but I ended up making the most of my day with it.

There’s certainly a lot more in store for the chatbot and I’ll definitely be following Meta AI’s development to see if it lives up to the hype. Will it become an essential part of my WhatsApp experience? Looks like it!