Meta rolls out WhatsApp 'incognito' mode to address privacy concerns for AI chats

New Delhi [India], May 14 : Meta has introduced a new "incognito" mode for chats with its Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp, aiming to give users more privacy while having personal conversations with AI, TechCrunch said.

As per the tech publication, the company, on Wednesday, announced that users will soon be able to start private AI conversations through a new icon in one-on-one chats with Meta AI on WhatsApp. The feature will also be added to the standalone Meta AI app in the coming months.

According to Meta, these incognito chats will run in a secure environment, and the conversations will not be visible to anyone else. The chats will also not be saved, and messages will disappear once the user closes the conversation.

Talking about the new feature, Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President of Product at WhatsApp, said people are increasingly using AI for private and personal questions.

"People are starting to use AI for everything, including some of their most private thoughts, whether that's tackling financial or health questions, or for advice on how to respond to a tricky message from a friend or a colleague. We think it's really important to give people the ability to ask these questions as privately as possible," she told TechCrunch.

The company had earlier added AI-powered message summaries using the same system. Meta now says the new incognito mode is powered by its latest AI model called Muse Spark, which was launched last month, according to TechCrunch.

Meta is also working on another feature called "Side Chat." The feature will allow users to ask Meta AI questions inside a chat privately, without other people in the conversation being able to see it.

At present, users have to tag a message and ask the AI assistant publicly inside a group or chat, making the response visible to everyone. Users who want privacy currently need to copy the text into a separate chat window.

The new incognito mode is expected to roll out to users over the next few months.

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