By Pilita Clark
Publication Date: 2025-11-30 05:00:00
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I can’t remember exactly when it started, but at some point in the last few months, AI moved from a topic of largely theoretical interest to an actively invading pest.
It started when a bluish-purple circle appeared uninvited on my WhatsApp screen. At first I ignored it because I thought I had accidentally swiped on something that caused it and hoped that with any luck it would go away.
But one day, when I was in a hurry to send someone a message, I accidentally tapped the circle and discovered that it was “Meta AI,” a chatbot that was desperate to help me find a restaurant, a recipe, or other things I never want to find on WhatsApp.
Luckily, it described itself as an “optional service” from Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg company that owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Phew, I thought. I’m going to get rid of it since it’s optional and the last thing I need to do is…
