A Meta, company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, implemented its artificial intelligence (AI) in the instant messenger, expanding the functionalities of the application. The technology, that had already been available in other countries since April 2024, took a little longer to arrive in Brazil due to the impositions of the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD)
The WhatsApp AI is based on advanced language models, like LLaMA (acronym for Large Language Model Meta AI), trained on large amounts of textual data to understand and generate natural language effectively. Meta's AI is capable of answering questions, give recommendations, search for news on topics of our interest on the web without leaving the app and generate images and small gifs for sharing, explain Pierre dos Santos, AI Analyst at Leste Telecom
However, the tool is still in Beta phase, therefore it contains many errors in its use. This will be improved over time, and AI may even have its mode of use reviewed, as it has many opportunities for the addition of new services, including those related to accessibility, complement
Damsel or villain? It depends on the use
With so many debates about the use of artificial intelligence, that has already been proven to be behind practices such as fake news and deepfake, many people feel apprehensive about having Meta's AI available on WhatsApp, without even the possibility of disabling the feature. Meta has informed that the content of conversations with AI may be used to train artificial intelligence algorithms, but does not associate this content with users' personal information, calms Pierre
Although it has not publicly disclosed how the data will be used for ad targeting, besides the focus on AI training, it is possible that the continuous use of the tool generates an impact on the reception of ads and advertisements in the long term. The data collection, what is a common practice in the technology market, can be used for ad personalization, audience segmentation and behavior prediction, for example
However, my expectation is that Meta prioritizes user privacy and consent, using AI in an ethical and transparent manner to benefit both users and advertisers in accordance with our legislation, the analyst opines
Even though technology does not have access to private conversations on WhatsApp and user data remains protected by the messenger's encryption, according to the AI documentation, the messages shared with the tool can be used to provide relevant answers for you or to improve this technology. Therefore, do not send messages containing information you do not want to share with the AI. At least, we can delete the messages sent to the AI by typing /reset-all-ais in the conversation, advertise
Use sparingly
Pierre also says that AI is a powerful tool that can be useful in various contexts. However, it is essential to use with responsibility and care, always thinking about the security and privacy of personal data. For that, he shares some basic tips, however valuable
- Use AI as an auxiliary tool, not as a substitute for critical thinking
- Use AI for tasks that you consider safe and without risk to your privacy, avoiding sharing personal or confidential information with the AI in the conversation
- Avoid using AI to make important decisions
- Research only on topics of general interest, avoiding sensitive or controversial topics
"It is true that", every day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify whether content was generated by AI, but there are some signs that can help you be suspicious: unknown or questionable source; too good to be true content; absence of information about authorship; artificial language; generic and unoriginal content; and lack of emotion and subjectivity, concluded the expert
