WhatsApp recently expanded the rollout of its Meta AI chatbots in select markets, including India and the United States, and it appears the instant messaging platform has started working on new artificial intelligence (AI) features. The Meta-owned messaging platform is developing a new “Imagine Me” feature that will allow users to generate AI-generated photos of themselves. This update has been spotted in the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android, which is available through the Google Play Beta program.
Feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted the company developing an optional feature to allow users to generate images of themselves using Meta AI. The messaging service could ask users to upload a handful of reference selfies when they first opt into the feature.
WABetaInfo says it discovered references to the upcoming AI-based “Imagine Me” feature in the latest beta update of WhatsApp for Android 2.24.14.13 which is available through the Google Play Beta program. The feature is still under development and cannot be tested after installing the mentioned beta version of WhatsApp on an Android phone.
How WhatsApp's new AI feature will work
The report includes a screenshot showing the new option, giving users an idea of what the feature could look like when it launches. Once users take a single set of photos, Meta AI's chatbot will create new AI images.
A screenshot of the “Imagine Me” feature.
Photo credit: WABetaInfo
Users can ask Meta AI to generate an AI image of themselves by typing “Imagine Me” in Meta AI's chat window. This functionality can be accessed in other chats by typing “@Meta AI imagine'm”.
According to the screenshot of the feature, users will be able to choose new backgrounds and locations “from the forest to outer space” to add to their images. Hopefully this will help you create custom stickers. According to WABetaInfo, users can delete uploaded snaps at any time through the settings.
WhatsApp's new custom AI image generation option is said to be optional and users may have to enable it manually in their settings. It's likely to be available in a future update, according to the feature tracker.
Meta AI, the company's ChatGPT competitor, began rolling out in India last month. In addition to WhatsApp, the chatbot powered by the in-house Large Language Model (LLM) Llama 3 is currently available on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
