2 weeks Ago By Matthew Mohan-Hickson
Technology and TV writer Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Until recently, the two little letters AI was reserved solely as a plot device in a science fiction book or as a villain in Hollywood movies. But increasingly it has become something that has been foisted into nearly every aspect of our lives in the 2020s.
Artificial intelligence is the technology du jour so far this decade - and if you’ve looked at buying a washing machine recently you may have noticed it has even been integrated into that. But perhaps the most recognisable implementation of AI is the chatbot. Advertisement Advertisement From ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence, we’ve all probably dabbled with one or another in the last couple of years.
In fact you may have come to be a regular user of a chatbot in your daily life. Sign up for our NationalWorld newsletter - delivered daily . Not to be left behind Meta - the owners of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - has been developing its own AI features.
However for users in the UK and Europe its launch had been held back - until now at least. Launching across the pond in 2023, Meta AI initially paused its roll out in the UK and Europe after Ireland’s privacy watchdog asked it to delay training on content posted by Facebook and Instagram users, The Verge reported . But it is starting to arrive on our devices this month.
You may have noticed a new blue ringed symbol has appeared on your Messenger and WhatsApp apps all of a sudden. This is Meta AI and you can chat with it as well as ask it to generate images - for example on Messenger I was prompted to ask ‘imagine a comic villain’ and it conjured up a creation. Advertisement Advertisement Meta has started to roll it out across all of its apps - from WhatsApp to Facebook, Instagram and Messenger - so keep your eyes peeled.
It will appear on the Chats tab on your WhatsApp, once it has been fully rolled out. If you don’t fancy having the AI prompts appearing on your apps, you might be wondering if it is possible to turn it off. Unfortunately there is no way to fully turn off the Meta AI functions, you can toggle the settings so the little blue circle doesn’t appear - but it will still be active in the background.
Have you seen the AI function on WhatsApp yet? Let me know your thoughts by email: [email protected] . National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting.
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