Meta adds private AI ‘Incognito Chat’ to WhatsApp

Meta has launched “Incognito Chat” for Meta AI on WhatsApp and its standalone app, as the company continues to expand its AI ecosystem amid rapid business growth driven by automation and AI-powered advertising tools.

Incognito allows for sensitive chats. Source: Meta.

Control over privacy

According to Warc Media, Meta’s advertising business is forecast to grow 22.3% to $240bn this year, fuelled largely by its increasing use of AI across advertising, targeting and platform experiences.

The new “Incognito Chat” feature introduces a private mode designed to give users greater control over how they interact with AI tools. Conversations with Meta AI disappear by default and, according to the company, are processed in a secure environment that even Meta itself cannot access.

While positioned as a consumer privacy update, the launch also underscores how trust and data protection are becoming increasingly important in the AI business landscape, particularly as brands and businesses expand their use of AI-powered customer engagement tools.

Warc: Meta ad revenue to hit $240bn in 2026 on AI automation

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Growing AI scrutiny

Meta said the feature is intended to offer users “a completely private way to chat with AI”, amid growing scrutiny around how technology companies collect, store and use AI conversation data.

The update comes as WhatsApp continues to evolve into a major business and commerce platform, with brands increasingly using the app for customer service, sales and marketing interactions across global markets.

Meta has been accelerating the rollout of Meta AI across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger as competition intensifies between major technology companies racing to dominate the consumer AI space.