Instagram, WhatsApp to get own AI chatbot soon, testing begins in India, Africa

Jumping on the bandwagon in the artificial intelligence race, Meta has started rolling out AI chatbot feature for its social networking sites WhatsApp and Instagram across India and Africa, India Today reported.

The AI-powered search bar feature was first introduced in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.7.14 update. It allows users to use the search engine to ask queries.

The feature is mainly being tested out in certain regions such as India and Africa and is expected to go global soon.

Now, the company is experimenting with putting Meta AI in the Instagram search bar. You can use it to either chat with AI or to look up content.

You can ask queries in the search bar or hold conversations.

Besides the normal ask anything feature, the AI-powered search bar can also help in discovering new content. For instance, you could search "pretty blue skies" and Instagram will show all reels and pictures related to that topic, Tech Crunch reported.

Despite the integration of ChatGPT like chatbot into WhatsApp, Meta has assured users that interaction within the search bar will remain confidential. The queries will not be shared, ensuring data privacy.

In addition, WhatsApp has acknowledged its commitment to end-to-end encryption, ensuring the privacy of personal messages and calls will remain intact.