Meta has introduced "incognito chat" for its AI app and WhatsApp, a private messaging option where conversations aren't stored on servers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims this is the first major AI product with no conversation logs, comparing it to end-to-end encryption where even Meta cannot read the conversations.

The feature uses a Trusted Execution Environment for AI inference, with conversations disappearing when a chat session ends. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart noted the AI has safety guardrails to refuse harmful or illegal questions, though the mode only supports text without image uploads.

This development arrives as OpenAI faces lawsuits over stored chat logs. A recent lawsuit alleges ChatGPT provided information that led to a teen's drug overdose. Unlike Google (3 days) and OpenAI (30 days), Meta's approach eliminates the risk of sensitive conversations being used as evidence in legal cases.