WhatsApp is the most used messaging app in the Netherlands, but a new feature is still to be missed. AI is not coming to the Dutch app for now.
Americans and Canadians have been able to use Meta AI in WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook for quite some time. Now parent company Meta is further rolling out the feature to other parts of the world.
Still, we in the Netherlands cannot use the new feature for now. This is because Meta has decided not to release the WhatsApp and Instagram feature in Europe yet, and there is an obvious reason for that.
Meta AI is being rolled out in WhatsApp and Instagram
Meta AI is becoming available in WhatsApp and Instagram in a good number of new countries. This week, Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay and the United Kingdom, among others, will gain access to the AI feature. Another 21 countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East will follow later. Interestingly, there is no country from the European Union on this list.
That has everything to do with a three-letter law: DMA, or the Digital Markets Act. This European law is designed to protect citizens and ensure that large tech companies do not become too powerful. In the case of Meta AI, the main issue is the ethical handling of data and privacy. Meta disagrees. CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously let it be known that the law would stop innovation and disadvantage users. So now people who primarily use WhatsApp and Instagram.
By the way, Meta is not the only company running into these European regulations. Apple is also facing similar problems. Apple has chosen to release Apple Intelligence only on the Mac in the European Union for the time being. Users of an iPhone or iPad in Europe will have to miss out on the AI service for the time being.
This is what you’ll miss without the new WhatsApp feature
You now know why Meta Intelligence is not yet available in Europe, but the big question is: what are you actually missing?
Meta AI adds several features to WhatsApp and Instagram. For example, the apps allow you to create images through a prompt, similar to how Google Gemini and DALL-E work. In addition, it is possible to have a digital avatar of yourself created through the AI.
Meta AI can also serve as a personal point of contact when you have problems on WhatsApp and Instagram. For example, you can ask questions to the chatbot, which will then help you further.