Rakuten Viber has launched a new feature called Unread Summary that uses ChatGPT to summarize unread chat messages for mobile application users worldwide.
The launch of the tool is part of an ongoing partnership between messaging platform Rakuten Viber and artificial intelligence company OpenAI. The team at Rakuten Viber announced the new feature in a statement to news organization LIGA.net.
Instead of reading through every message in a busy thread, users receive a short summary detailing the main content of their unread conversations. Once the digest is generated, the user can mark the chat as read, leave it for later, or jump directly into the ongoing discussion.
Rakuten Viber noted that nearly one-third of its users receive 20 or more unread messages every day, making catch-up tools an increasingly important feature for daily communication.
Data access and privacy controls
To generate the automated digests, ChatGPT receives access strictly to unread messages within the target chat and the participant names necessary to construct the summary. The system does not access read messages or additional user data outside the active digest request.
Rakuten Viber is a cross-platform voice over IP and instant messaging software application operated by Japanese technology company Rakuten. Founded to provide free calling and messaging across mobile operating systems, the service connects hundreds of millions of users globally through private chats, group conversations, and public channels.
OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research laboratory and technology developer best known for creating ChatGPT. The conversational chatbot relies on large language models capable of processing, summarizing, and translating text inputs in response to user requests or API integrations.
Artificial intelligence and marketplace expansions
Integrating artificial intelligence into messaging applications has become a primary focus for digital technology companies seeking to improve user productivity. Automated text summarization algorithms evaluate message length, identify key themes, and compress conversational threads into concise summaries that highlight critical updates.
The summarization capability represents one of several artificial intelligence tools expanding on the Viber platform. Ukrainian users on Viber are also set to receive AI features designed for editing and translating text messages directly within their chats.
In addition to text processing tools, Rakuten Viber previously launched an in-app marketplace. The marketplace feature allows users to search for local businesses, retail stores, beauty salons, and commercial services without leaving the messaging application.
