Rakuten Viber’s new AI-powered feature summarizes group chats in an instant
Leveraging the technology behind ChatGPT, it condenses long conversations into bullet points to ensure important details don’t get lost.
SAN FRANCISCO. April 2024 – Rakuten Viber, a global leader in private and secure messaging and calls, has leveraged the technology of OpenAI to launch a conversation-summarizing AI feature for unread messages in group chats. Developed to meet the needs of millions of busy users, this cutting-edge solution offers a seamless and rapid way to distill essential information from up to 100 unread messages in a chat into a concise summary.
The AI summarizer extracts the most important parts of a user's group conversations and, in an instant, concisely conveys in bullet points what has been discussed, not only saving time and energy but also enhancing decision-making and productivity. The rapid delivery helps users stay up-to-date without going back through a long scroll of 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 easily use as a reference point. 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 US, the Philippines, Ukraine, Japan, Bulgaria, and Poland with more countries to follow soon. It supports iOS and Android platforms and comprehends more than 50 languages.
About Rakuten Viber
Rakuten Viber connects people. No matter who they are or where they are from. The global user base has access to a range of features like one-on-one chats, video calls, group messaging, and updates and discussions with their favorite brands and celebrities. Rakuten Viber ensures users have a secure and free environment to share their emotions. Rakuten Viber is part of Rakuten Group, Inc., a world leader in e-commerce and financial services.
Leadership
Ofir Eyal, the CEO of Rakuten Viber, is a Viber veteran as he first joined the company in 2014 as the Vice President of Product before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2019. Prior to joining Viber, Ofir previously held the position of Product Manager at Citi Innovation Lab, where he worked on Citibank’s flagship mobile trading app for its institutional customers worldwide. In his previous roles at Viber, Ofir focused on user experience, customer success, content, and localization. As CEO, Ofir leads Rakuten Viber’s ambitious campaign of product development and discovers new markets and business opportunities as the company further establishes itself as a major, innovative player in the global messaging market.
