“Let's ask Meta AI!”: Information Seeking Practices with Meta AI on WhatsApp

Abstract

In 2023 Meta launched generative AI (GenAI) features called “Meta AI” for general search, and text-to-image creation in its family of apps including the superapp, WhatsApp. Currently, we do not have empirical research on how people are using these GenAI features in WhatsApp. To understand current information practices with Meta AI, we conducted an interview and task-based study with 26 Indian students at a large public university in the United States. We find that information seeking, planning activities, and image creation are the largest use cases of Meta AI. Participants described relying on external URL links for fact checking and planning tasks as markers of credibility for their search tasks. We argue that Meta's platform partnerships are likely to influence the kinds of search results participants receive and rely on. Our key contribution to information science is urging researchers to expand sites of studying personal information practice with the adoption of GenAI features based searching activities and consider searching activities that occur within superapps like WhatsApp.