WhatsApp introduces AI-powered message summaries with privacy-focused tech

WhatsApp has launched a new feature called Message Summaries, which uses Meta AI to provide quick summaries of unread messages in a chat. Rolled out in English for users in the United States, the feature is aimed at helping users quickly grasp the gist of conversations they’ve missed without reading each individual message.

Displayed in bullet-point format, the AI-generated summaries can be accessed by simply tapping on the unread message count in a chat. These summaries are private and only visible to the individual user. WhatsApp emphasizes that users remain in control—they can choose to opt into the feature and even restrict which chats can be summarized using Advanced Chat Privacy settings.

The company underlines that it uses a privacy-preserving technology called Private Processing, which ensures that neither Meta nor WhatsApp can see any user messages while generating the summaries. This aligns with the platform’s continued focus on user security and confidentiality.

Though the accuracy of the summaries is yet to be independently verified, WhatsApp has plans to expand the feature to more languages and countries later this year.

The Message Summaries rollout comes as part of a broader push by Meta to integrate AI into WhatsApp. Recently, features like the Meta AI button and @Meta AI prompts in chats have also been introduced—though unlike Message Summaries, these AI features are turned on by default and currently cannot be disabled.

This latest update follows the platform’s recent controversial move to introduce advertisements in the app—a step the app’s original founders had strongly opposed.

Stay tuned as WhatsApp continues to evolve with more AI-driven tools aimed at improving usability while prioritizing privacy.