WhatsApp's New Meta AI Feature Will Reportedly Reply to and Edit Images
WhatsApp for Android is reportedly developing a new feature that will enable the in-built artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Meta AI, to edit and reply to images. This feature is currently under development and is not yet available to users enrolled in the app’s beta program. The forthcoming Meta AI feature will leverage the company’s latest large language model, Llama 3. Users will also be provided with privacy control options to protect their images.
WhatsApp to Reportedly Get a New Meta AI Feature
According to the WhatsApp update tracker WABetaInfo, the new feature was identified in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.14.20. Although the feature is still under development and not yet visible in the current release, the update tracker has provided screenshots that highlight its capabilities and functionalities.
The screenshots suggest that the new feature will be powered by Llama 3. An earlier report indicated that users will soon have access to Llama 3 and will be able to switch between this model and its predecessor, Llama 2. Given that Llama 2 also supports computer vision, it is likely to facilitate the feature as well.
The new feature has two distinct functionalities. First, Meta AI is said to be able to reply to images. Currently, the AI chatbot can reply to texts, but it cannot see or process images. The feature tracker claims the new update will let users post an image and ask the AI questions about it. This functionality is similar to what can be done on Gemini AI and ChatGPT. Llama 3’s open-sourced models can also perform image analysis, but users will have to locally run the LLM for that purpose.
The second feature allows Meta AI to make edits to the images. The extent of editing capabilities of the AI model is not yet clear. It could support basic edits such as improving lighting, cropping, removing background objects, and more. However, it may also offer advanced AI editing features such as changing the background and adding effects, similar to what Magic Editor offers in compatible Pixel smartphones. The feature description mentions that photos sent to Meta AI will be analyzed, including facial features, and users will have control over the images and can delete them anytime.
However, it is not clear whether deleting the image will also remove it from Meta AI’s database. The release date for these features is currently unknown.
