WhatsApp beta 2.26.34.5 to add AI content labels

WhatsApp channel admins on Android are getting a new way to stay honest with their followers: a label that flags when an update contains AI-generated media, and one they can't quietly remove once it's added.

The update will be rolled out on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.34.5, discovered by WABetaInfo testers Akan and Radu Oncescu. The admins would need to press on the message and then choose “Add AI content label” from the message options menu to flag it.

The label would include any image or video created through artificial intelligence, and it would be shown at the bottom left of the message bubble where the view number and date are visible as soon as the channel is opened by followers. Once this label is attached, it cannot be removed, as it’s intentional.

This comes at a time when AI disclosure rules are becoming stricter in a number of nations. WhatsApp created the tool using the same user interface design it had introduced for partnership tags. It is important to mention that the notification inside the app itself says, "Channel admins in your country are required to label channel updates that use AI content.”

Admins using ChatGPT, Gemini or any other generator to create or edit media must apply the label regardless of which tool did the work, and regardless of how minor the AI involvement was, even light AI-assisted touch-ups qualify. 

WhatsApp has also indicated it may apply the label automatically in some cases if it detects AI-generated content itself.

For now, only a small group of Android beta testers have access, with WhatsApp expanding the rollout gradually over the coming weeks.