Messages are processed in a “secure environment” inaccessible to Meta, are not saved by default, and disappear when exiting the session.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Meta Platforms said Wednesday it is rolling out an “incognito” mode for WhatsApp users to have private conversations with its artificial intelligence chatbot, a move aimed at easing privacy issues About sensitive information shared by users in chats.
this social media company In a blog post, it said that incognito chat mode provides a way to have private, temporary conversations with Meta AI. Artificial Intelligence Assistant This feature has been available on WhatsApp for several years.
Meta says messages will be processed in a “secure environment” that even Meta cannot access, will not be saved by default, and will disappear when exiting the session.
Generative AI systems have been plagued by privacy issues Because the large language models that underpin these systems are trained on massive amounts of data, sometimes including personal information provided by users themselves in conversations with AI chatbots.
Rival chatbot makers already have some privacy features. Google’s Gemini chatbot has the option to disable chat history and choose not to allow personal data to be used to train its artificial intelligence model. ChatGPT has similar controls.
Meta said it is rolling out invisible chat because users often ask chatbots sensitive questions or include private financial, personal, health or work data in their questions.
“Let’s start [to] “We ask a lot of meaningful questions about our lives with AI systems, but it doesn’t always feel like you should be sharing the information behind those questions with the companies running these AI systems,” Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, told reporters.
Cathcart said the incognito chat mode has safety features that prevent the chatbot from answering questions about harmful topics.
It “guides the user to useful information (if available), then refuses (an answer), and eventually stops interacting with the user entirely,” Cathcart said.
Users can only enter questions and get text responses; they won’t be able to upload or generate images. They must also confirm their age, as Meta does not allow users under 13 to use its platform.
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