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Chat with Meta AI in WhatsApp
Meta has added its AI assistant to WhatsApp in the UK and EU, almost a year after it launched the feature in the US. You may already have received a welcome message from Meta AI in your Chats list, and have a new Meta AI button – which resembles a blue-and-pink circle – in the bottom-right corner of the app.
Although the message says ‘Meta AI is an optional service’, it’s currently impossible to remove the feature from WhatsApp. Coupled with the placement of its button directly above the ‘New chat’ button, where it’s easy to tap accidentally, it’s unsurprising that many WhatsApp users have complained about Meta AI being foisted on them.
To try the new feature, either reply to the welcome message or tap Meta AI’s circular button. You can then talk to the chatbot, which is powered by the Llama 3.2 AI model, as if you were chatting to a real person, though it won’t tell you how to remove it (see screenshot left). Unlike other AI tools, you can’t upload files for Meta AI to analyse, ask it to generate images or interact with it verbally using voice mode.