Breaking News

WhatsApp developing a new AI voice feature for hands free communications

by VARINDIA 2024-08-14

A new AI capability that will enable hands-free voice communications with Meta AI is being developed by WhatsApp. Found in iOS and Android beta versions, the functionality would allow users to have two-way voice conversations with Meta AI.

It would provide several voice options, transcriptions, and captions. The feature is not yet ready for testing; it is still in development.

In the last few years, WhatsApp was under examination over data privacy across the globe. The new feature is being developed with particular attention to users' privacy concerns. Consequently, the voice chat will not be available in default mode and the user can at any time stop the voice conversation. The confirmation will also be provided.

Information about microphone usage will be provided through the privacy indicator on iOS. “Meta AI will continuously listen to the user once they open the chat with the bot and this mode is manually enabled by them, allowing it to understand and respond to ongoing conversations more effectively,” said the report.

The instant messaging app is also developing a transcribe feature that will help convert speech to text during voice conversations with the AI chatbot. This new feature will be helpful for people with hearing impairments. Similarly, the feature will be beneficial for those who prefer reading over listening.

According to a report, users will be able to customize Meta AI's voice output by choosing between options like "Brief" and "Full." The "Brief" mode will deliver concise answers, while the "Full" mode will offer more detailed responses. This allows users to engage in a more 'natural' conversation and 'tailor the interaction to their specific needs.'

Additionally, the upcoming feature will be like that of ChatGPT, Google Gemini and other AI chatbots.

AI voice chat and the feature is available in the WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.16.10.70. So far, the work to introduce the new feature is ongoing and is currently not available for beta testers.