Meta is developing a new WhatsApp feature designed to allow users to verify misinformation and fake news directly within their chats in real time. Discovered by the specialized website WaBetaInfo in an Android app update (version 2.25.23.24), the tool is activated via a button labeled ‘Ask Meta AI.’
To verify content, users must select the ‘Ask Meta AI’ option from the app’s menu. The selected content is then automatically forwarded to Meta’s AI chatbot, to which the user must pose a specific question to initiate the fact-checking process. Currently, the feature is available only to a limited number of users for testing, with a gradual rollout planned for the wider public.
The move is part of Mark Zuckerberg’s company’s broader strategy to curb the rampant spread of disinformation on its platform, which often proliferates through rapid-forwarding chain messages. WhatsApp has previously implemented measures to limit mass message forwarding. However, questions remain about the efficacy of an AI-dependent system that is known to suffer from ‘hallucinations’ and operates without human oversight.
In other upcoming features reported by WaBetaInfo, WhatsApp is also introducing new settings for ephemeral messages that disappear after a user-set time. The update will offer shorter duration options, adding two new choices to the current timer settings: 1 hour and 12 hours.
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