WhatsApp is preparing to let users send AI-generated images of themselves within the app, according to a tech media report.
Users are set to be able to put an avatar version of their faces into just about any context: "Take photos of yourself once, then imagine yourself in any setting from the forest to outer space," Meta says in pre-release screenshots shared by WhatsApp news website WABetaInfo.
The feature, still under development, is not just about creating a new profile picture, but a more comprehensive photo generation tool for spontaneous photos in chat, allowing you to quickly send a version of yourself as a gunslinger in a western town or as a ballerina on the stage.
An avatar is a graphic representation of a person or figure that acts as a virtual proxy in the digital world. In the metaverse, an avatar represents the real person who created and controls it.
To create an AI avatar of yourself in WhatsApp in future, all you need to do is take one or more photos of yourself. You then write in a prompt what version of yourself you would like to see. The user types a prompt in the format of "@Meta AI imagine me as..." and gets suggestions from the app.
The AI feature is not yet being rolled out globally, however, since WhatsApp parent company Meta and the EU are involved in a dispute how user data is used to train Meta's AI.
Meta has been assuming that it's enough to offer users the chance to object to their data being used. The EU insists that Meta customers must be actively asked for permission in advance.
According to the WABetaInfo report, no content from WhatsApp's chat history should be used to create the avatars. Only with the command "@Meta AI" does the AI system get activated.
"It is worth noting that Meta AI cannot read other messages, as the command is processed separately," the report states. The resulting visual message is automatically shared by the app in the conversation to ensure that the user's privacy is always protected.
This feature is optional and requires the user's consent. Users who wish to use this function will first have to activate it manually in their settings and create their avatar.