WhatsApp may soon get a cute little chatbot button to let you talk to Meta AI

This is the era of AI-powered chatbots. After the success of ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Copilot (formerly Bing AI), most tech platforms rushed to integrate similar tools. Discord got Clyde AI (which is soon going to be shut down), Snapchat introduced My AI, and China’s Baidu launched its Ernie chatbot. Now, it’s the turn of WhatsApp. As per reports, the instant messaging platform will soon get an AI chatbot too, and the latest beta version of the app also features a dedicated button to quickly launch it.

According to a report by WABetaInfo, “A new button is located in the Chats tab above the icon to start new chats. With this button, it’s possible to quickly open the AI-powered chats, making the process faster and even more convenient for users”. The AI chatbot, which is powered by Meta AI, was first announced by WhatsApp’s parent company Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg in September. He revealed that the company is experimenting with AI-powered chatbots for a select group within the USA.

WhatsApp adds a button for AI chatbot

In September’s WhatsApp beta, the AI chatbot was rolled out, but it was hidden in the contact list making it cumbersome to find it and start conversations. To make the process faster and more intuitive, the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.24.26 build has added a small button on the home screen that can quickly boot the chatbot.

The button is positioned right above the ‘New Chat’ button at the bottom right corner. It’s a white square button with a multicolored ring on it. Tapping on it quickly opens the Meta AI chatbot. Do note that the AI chatbots are an experimental feature and as such, it has only been rolled out in a limited capacity. Just because it is available in WhatsApp beta, it does not mean that the feature will also be present when the same version rolls out for global release. It is also not possible to reveal at this time when exactly this feature will be made available for a wider release.