WhatsApp has introduced a new AI-powered feature called “Writing Help” designed to assist users in rephrasing, proofreading, and adjusting the tone of their messages. The announcement was made by Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, on Wednesday.
Writing Help leverages Meta’s Private Processing technology, ensuring user privacy by processing AI-generated responses without allowing Meta or WhatsApp to access the original message or the suggested rewrites. This maintains the platform’s commitment to privacy even when users utilize the new tool.
The feature offers AI-driven suggestions to rewrite messages in various tones, including professional, funny, supportive, or simply rephrased. WhatsApp demonstrated the functionality with an example where the message “Please don’t leave dirty socks on the sofa” was humorously rewritten as: “Please don’t make the sofa a sock graveyard,” “Breaking news: Socks found chilling on the couch. Please move them,” and “Hey, sock ninja, the laundry basket is that way!”
By launching Writing Help, WhatsApp aims to encourage users to employ its in-app technology for message drafting, potentially reducing reliance on external AI tools like ChatGPT. However, WhatsApp acknowledges that some users may prefer authentic, personal conversations over AI-generated messages, recognizing the distinction between using AI for professional emails versus personal messages.
Users can access Writing Help by tapping the pencil icon that appears when composing a message within the app. The Writing Help feature began rolling out in English in select countries starting Wednesday.
