The messaging application WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is testing a new feature for iOS and Android users that could reshape how artificial intelligence is utilized within conversations.
اضافة اعلان
The app has begun rolling out a feature called "Side Chat" to a limited number of Android and iOS users. This feature allows users to privately seek assistance from the intelligent assistant, "Meta AI," directly within the ongoing conversation.
According to WABetaInfo, a website specializing in WhatsApp updates, the platform has not yet announced an official timeline for a broader public rollout of this new feature.
Privacy Within the Group
Imagine reviewing a lengthy group chat and failing to understand the topic, or receiving a message in another language that requires a quick explanation. In such scenarios, you might wish to seek assistance without the other participants noticing.
This is precisely what the "Side Chat" feature is designed for. It opens a separate side panel on the screen where you can interact with Meta AI. Most importantly, the AI can comprehend the context of the active conversation and utilize it to provide relevant responses.
Meanwhile, no one else in the chat can see the questions you ask or the responses provided by Meta AI, keeping the interaction strictly confidential between you and the AI.
To access the "Side Chat" feature, users simply need to swipe left while inside any chat. WhatsApp will then open a dark-themed side panel that is distinct from the primary conversation, while the original chat remains unchanged in the background.
Once the "Side Chat" panel opens, you can type your prompt directly or select from a set of suggestions displayed by WhatsApp. These suggestions are generated based on the content of the ongoing conversation, making them helpful and contextually relevant from the outset.
Integrated Tools
The Side Chat feature comes equipped with several built-in tools:
Summarization: It can summarize recent messages in the chat to help you catch up quickly.
Composition Assistance: It can assist you in drafting or refining a reply before sending it.
Contextual Explanation: It can explain any ambiguous or unclear statements made in the chat.
Web Search: It supports internet search, allowing you to look up information without exiting the app. This feature is enabled by default but can be disabled via settings.
Difference Between "@Meta AI" and "Side Chat"
The new Side Chat feature differs significantly from the existing option of mentioning Meta AI directly within a chat using the "@" symbol.
When using "@Meta AI" in a group or individual chat, all participants can see both the question posed to the assistant and the subsequent response generated by the AI.
Furthermore, the "Side Chat" feature is built on a framework known as "Private Processing." This system processes the user's request within a secure and isolated environment, ensuring that neither Meta nor WhatsApp can read the user's prompts or the AI's responses. Once the session is concluded, no data is stored.
Conversely, using "@Meta AI" does not utilize this Private Processing system, meaning it does not offer the same protection and privacy advantages provided by the "Side Chat" feature.
Al Arabiya
