Rakuten Viber, a leading messaging app in the Philippines, has used OpenAI technology to launch a conversation-summarizing AI feature for unread messages in group chats. This feature aims to save time and energy for millions of busy users by extracting the most important parts of a user’s group conversations and conveying them in bullet points. This saves time and energy and enhances decision-making and productivity, allowing users to stay up-to-date without having to scroll through lengthy messages.
Initially focusing on group chats, the AI summary feature will cater to the most popular form of communication among Viber users. They will be able to pull together key decisions, action items, and discussions to use as a reference point easily. Imagine the convenience this will allow for parents managing their children’s school or sports team events through collaborative discussions, family members planning a birthday party for a loved one, or groups of friends making travel arrangements.
Activation is effortless: users entering a group chat with unread messages will receive a prompt to obtain an optional summary of the missed part of the conversation. Importantly, these summaries are visible only to users who request them, ensuring privacy and confidentiality.
Data privacy and safety were top-of-mind considerations in the development of this feature. The AI chat summary content does not include any identifiers beyond usernames, so specific conversations cannot be externally connected to any group members. Additionally, Viber does not access or save conversations or summaries on its servers, creating a secure and private user experience.
“We’re constantly seeking new and innovative ways to make our users’ lives easier and simpler,” said Ofir Eyal, CEO of Rakuten Viber. “That’s why we’re harnessing the power of generative AI to save them time and make sure they don’t miss any important conversations: From classmates discussing school projects to friends or family making weekend plans on the go, our users can get up to speed in a flash on anything they might have missed.”
The feature is gradually rolling out to users in the Philippines as well as the US, Ukraine, Japan, Bulgaria, and Poland with more countries to follow soon. It supports iOS and Android platforms and comprehends more than 50 languages.
