WhatsApp introduces "Incognito Chat" for private Meta AI conversations

Meta Platforms has announced closed and completely private conversations with its own AI chatbot within WhatsApp and its Meta AI app. According to the company, a so-called “Incognito Chat” will not be logged and will be deleted from the end device after completion. The chats, which are encrypted as usual, are therefore not visible to the operator themselves. Incognito chats are expected to become available in WhatsApp and the separate Meta AI app in the coming months.

As already introduced in the USA last year, the AI summaries of WhatsApp chats are also based on the “Private Processing Technology” developed by the company itself. This enables the Meta AI to “generate a response without Meta or WhatsApp ever seeing your messages or the private summaries,” as the data group promises.

Incognito chats for sensitive topics

In addition to secrecy, conversations with the AI chatbot on WhatsApp or in the Meta AI app will not be saved, neither on the end device nor in the cloud. The messages also disappear immediately when the chats are closed. This also applies when closing the apps or when the screen lock is activated. This means the AI chatbot cannot refer to past conversations in new conversations.

The data group justifies the introduction of this function with the increasing popularity of AI chats. Users are increasingly informing themselves via AI chatbots rather than search engines. However, these often concern sensitive topics, so that “people share private information about finances, personal matters, health or profession,” according to the official WhatsApp blog. The Incognito Chat protects this data and privacy.

Incognito chat with Muse Spark, soon also side chats

So far, Meta Platforms uses smaller AI models for functions of this type, explains Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President of Product at WhatsApp, to TechCrunch. However, the new Incognito Chat will use the AI model Muse Spark, Meta's new flagship AI model, presented last month. Initially, the new AI model already powers the Meta AI app and website, but Muse Spark has also been promised for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and AI glasses.

In addition to the Incognito Chat, WhatsApp is also planning protected and private “side chats”. So far, every chat participant can see if another participant is querying the Meta AI. In the future, the so-called side chats should remain separate and not appear in the actual chat when someone is looking for AI support. This eliminates the need to copy messages for research in another app or a separate chat. The side chats are also expected to be introduced in the coming months.

(fds)