WhatsApp has introduced a new “incognito” mode for conversations with Meta AI, allowing users to hold private chats that neither the company nor the user can later access.
The feature prevents conversations from being monitored once activated, and chat history disappears from the user’s device after use.
Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, said users wanted a more private way to discuss sensitive topics such as health, relationships, and finances with AI tools.
Cathcart said many people were uncomfortable sharing personal information with companies, but still wanted answers from AI systems.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg described the feature as the “first major AI product where there is no log of your conversations stored on servers.”
WhatsApp said the technology behind the incognito mode differs from the platform’s existing end-to-end encryption system, though Cathcart described it as an equivalent level of protection.
The feature initially supports only text-based AI interactions and does not process images.
Meta said its AI guardrails will take a cautious approach by refusing requests that could be considered harmful or illegal.
Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, told the BBC that the feature creates little risk for WhatsApp’s broader security systems.
However, he raised concerns about accountability if AI systems malfunction or produce harmful responses.
Woodward said disappearing chats that cannot be retrieved by users or Meta could make it impossible to investigate situations involving harm, suicide, or wrongful death.
Several AI companies, including OpenAI and Google, have already faced wrongful death lawsuits tied to AI systems.
Meta AI was added to WhatsApp last year, though some users criticized the company for not allowing the feature to be disabled.
In May 2025, Zuckerberg said Meta AI had reached one billion users across Meta’s platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Meta currently blocks third-party AI chatbots from operating inside WhatsApp, leaving Meta AI as the platform’s only integrated chatbot.
Susannah Streeter of investment platform Wealth Club said Meta is expected to spend about $145 billion (£107 billion) on AI infrastructure in 2026.
She said investors remain concerned about the scale of spending, but Meta is betting the investment will strengthen its advertising and commerce businesses through expanded AI capabilities.
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