AI Moderation

Overview

AI Moderation in the CometChat SDK helps ensure that your chat application remains safe and compliant by automatically reviewing messages for inappropriate content. This feature leverages AI to moderate messages in real-time, reducing manual intervention and improving user experience.

For a broader understanding of moderation features, configuring rules, and managing flagged messages, see the Moderation Overview.

Prerequisites

Before using AI Moderation, ensure the following:

1. Moderation is enabled for your app in the CometChat Dashboard
2. Moderation rules are configured under Moderation > Rules
3. You’re using CometChat SDK version that supports moderation

How It Works

Step	Description
1. Send Message	App sends a text, image, or video message
2. Pending Status	Message is sent with PENDING moderation status
3. AI Processing	Moderation service analyzes the content
4. Result Event	onMessageModerated event fires with final status

Supported Message Types

Moderation is triggered only for the following message types:

Message Type	Moderated	Notes
Text Messages	✅	Content analyzed for inappropriate text
Image Messages	✅	Images scanned for unsafe content
Video Messages	✅	Videos analyzed for prohibited content
Custom Messages	❌	Not subject to AI moderation
Action Messages	❌	Not subject to AI moderation

Moderation Status

The getModerationStatus() method returns one of the following values:

Status	Enum Value	Description
Pending	ModerationStatus.PENDING	Message is being processed by moderation
Approved	ModerationStatus.APPROVED	Message passed moderation and is visible
Disapproved	ModerationStatus.DISAPPROVED	Message violated rules and was blocked

Implementation

Step 1: Send a Message and Check Initial Status

When you send a text, image, or video message, check the initial moderation status:

Kotlin

val textMessage = TextMessage(receiverUID, "Hello, how are you?", CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, object : CometChat.CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(message: TextMessage) {
        // Check moderation status
        if (message.moderationStatus == ModerationStatus.PENDING) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Message is under moderation review")
            // Show pending indicator in UI
        }
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Message sending failed: ${e.message}")
    }
})

Java

TextMessage textMessage = new TextMessage(receiverUID, "Hello, how are you?", CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage, new CometChat.CallbackListener<TextMessage>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(TextMessage message) {
        // Check moderation status
        if (message.getModerationStatus().equals(ModerationStatus.PENDING)) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Message is under moderation review");
            // Show pending indicator in UI
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Message sending failed: " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

Step 2: Listen for Moderation Results

Register a message listener to receive moderation results in real-time:

Kotlin

val listenerID = "MODERATION_LISTENER"

CometChat.addMessageListener(listenerID, object : CometChat.MessageListener() {
    override fun onMessageModerated(message: BaseMessage) {
        when (message) {
            is TextMessage -> {
                when (message.moderationStatus) {
                    ModerationStatus.APPROVED -> {
                        Log.d(TAG, "Message ${message.id} approved")
                        // Update UI to show message normally
                    }
                    ModerationStatus.DISAPPROVED -> {
                        Log.d(TAG, "Message ${message.id} blocked")
                        // Handle blocked message (hide or show warning)
                    }
                }
            }
            is MediaMessage -> {
                when (message.moderationStatus) {
                    ModerationStatus.APPROVED -> {
                        Log.d(TAG, "Media message ${message.id} approved")
                    }
                    ModerationStatus.DISAPPROVED -> {
                        Log.d(TAG, "Media message ${message.id} blocked")
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
})

// Don't forget to remove the listener when done
// CometChat.removeMessageListener(listenerID)

Java

String listenerID = "MODERATION_LISTENER";

CometChat.addMessageListener(listenerID, new CometChat.MessageListener() {
    @Override
    public void onMessageModerated(BaseMessage message) {
        if (message instanceof TextMessage) {
            TextMessage textMessage = (TextMessage) message;
            if (textMessage.getModerationStatus().equals(ModerationStatus.APPROVED)) {
                Log.d(TAG, "Message " + message.getId() + " approved");
                // Update UI to show message normally
            } else if (textMessage.getModerationStatus().equals(ModerationStatus.DISAPPROVED)) {
                Log.d(TAG, "Message " + message.getId() + " blocked");
                // Handle blocked message (hide or show warning)
            }
        } else if (message instanceof MediaMessage) {
            MediaMessage mediaMessage = (MediaMessage) message;
            if (mediaMessage.getModerationStatus().equals(ModerationStatus.APPROVED)) {
                Log.d(TAG, "Media message " + message.getId() + " approved");
            } else if (mediaMessage.getModerationStatus().equals(ModerationStatus.DISAPPROVED)) {
                Log.d(TAG, "Media message " + message.getId() + " blocked");
            }
        }
    }
});

// Don't forget to remove the listener when done
// CometChat.removeMessageListener(listenerID);

Step 3: Handle Disapproved Messages

When a message is disapproved, handle it appropriately in your UI:

Kotlin

fun handleDisapprovedMessage(message: BaseMessage) {
    val messageId = message.id

    // Option 1: Hide the message completely
    hideMessageFromUI(messageId)

    // Option 2: Show a placeholder message
    showBlockedPlaceholder(messageId, "This message was blocked by moderation")

    // Option 3: Notify the sender (if it's their message)
    if (message.sender.uid == currentUserUID) {
        showNotification("Your message was blocked due to policy violation")
    }
}

Java

private void handleDisapprovedMessage(BaseMessage message) {
    int messageId = message.getId();

    // Option 1: Hide the message completely
    hideMessageFromUI(messageId);

    // Option 2: Show a placeholder message
    showBlockedPlaceholder(messageId, "This message was blocked by moderation");

    // Option 3: Notify the sender (if it's their message)
    if (message.getSender().getUid().equals(currentUserUID)) {
        showNotification("Your message was blocked due to policy violation");
    }
}

Next Steps

After implementing AI Moderation, consider adding a reporting feature to allow users to flag messages they find inappropriate. For more details, see the Flag Message documentation.