‘Change your phone language to Irish’ – angry WhatsApp users try to find ways of switching off new AI assistant
Meta's AI assistant aims to revolutionize how users interact with technology by offering advanced capabilities and personalized experiences. Mark Zuckerberg's optimistic outlook on the AI's potential highlights Meta's commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology. As the competition in the AI market continues to grow, Meta's AI assistant strives to set itself apart with its impressive features and capabilities. With ongoing development and improvements, Meta's AI assistant has the potential to redefine the future of AI technology.
Meta’s new AI assistant is on track to become the world’s leading artificial intelligence, according to Mark Zuckerberg. But its arrival in Ireland as part of its European rollout has left some WhatsApp users less than happy at their inability to switch it off or remove it. Angry WhatsApp users have flooded a Reddit thread with rants about the unwanted AI guest, with many describing their unsuccessful bids to turn it off.
“All I want to know is how to remove it,” wrote one fed-up user, in a comment that quickly racked up more than 1,000 upvotes. Another replied: “I tried that and can’t. I wish there was an equivalent app I could keep contacts on.” Meta AI is a digital assistant that can be summoned on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
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Some are raising the issue with Meta, spamming customer support in the hopes of a fix and urging users to phone the company in protest. “I keep asking for a way to disable it and I don’t even get a response – my ticket is just closed,” one user wrote. Some are getting creative: “Change your phone language to Irish,” one commenter suggested, adding, “apparently the AI doesn’t work in Gaeilge”.
Meta AI is a digital assistant that can be summoned on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp to answer a range of questions – or just for a chat. These chatbots, known as large language models, have absorbed vast amounts of text and data, enabling them to generate natural conversations on various topics. Others include ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and China’s DeepSeek. And because it’s a multi-modal AI, you can also speak to it and get it to whip up images and videos, with slightly different capabilities on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
However, whether users actually want it is up for debate. Annoyed users have been venting about the chatbot’s arrival since its launch in 2023. Complaints have been surging on social media after its expansion into the EU and beyond. Aside from complaints about the assistant itself, many are worried their data is being hoovered up to train the tech – especially given Meta’s chequered history with privacy and targeted ads. Others claim the rollout has brought bugs and crashes, adding to their frustration.
Meta says its AI cannot access your private messages, such as those on WhatsApp or Messenger, to train its AI models. However, it does use your interactions with AI features – such as searching for stickers or chatting with AI characters – to improve its products.