Lucrezia Ciotti WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, is about to change its face. After years of free and no-cost service dealer, Meta has officially announced the introduction of in-app ads. This marks a major shift in the tech giant’s strategy to further monetize the platform. But what does this mean for users? Here’s what to expect.
Meta Takes Aim at Scale AI with $15 Billion Investment to Strengthen AI
Meta is reportedly in talks to invest around $15 billion in Scale AI, a platform specializing in data management and annotation for training artificial intelligence models, valued at $29 billion. The goals would be to acquire a controlling stake of 49%.
Scale AI founder and CEO Alexandr Wang (and former roommate of OpenAI’s Sam Altman) and other team members could thus join the Meta ecosystem. Sources familiar with the deal say that researchers from Meta’s main competitors have also received very favorable offers to join the company.
Whatsapp, advertising arrives on the app: the official announcement by Meta
Advertising is also coming to WhatsApp, the popular free messaging app. Meta. Users and regulators alike have been watching closely as the social media giant looks to monetize an app that is prized primarily for its privacy and personal use with friends and family.
Hitherto advertising on the platform has mainly limited to promotional messages WhatsApp Business ads for subscribed customers, as well as some targeted status ad experiments in select markets. It is important to note that there will be no ads placed within chats or conversation feeds. Meta clarified that the introduction of advertising and new monetization options will be limited to the “Updates” tab, which groups together Channels and States.
The app ensured that will not use sensitive data like calls or private messages to personalize ads, instead based on generic information like location and language. Finally, Meta introduced two news for the “Channels” section: the possibility of subscribing to exclusive content and personalized suggestions of channels similar to those already followed.