Snapchat has joined the AI bandwagon by launching its own AI-powered chatbot called “My AI”. This new feature has been customized for Snapchat’s users and runs on the latest version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. “My AI” has been released as an experimental feature exclusively for Snapchat+ subscribers who pay $3.99 per month.
The chatbot will be pinned to the top of the Chat tab, and users can interact with it to perform various tasks such as answering trivia questions or writing a haiku. “My AI” has been trained to have a unique voice and personality that aligns with Snapchat’s values of “friendship, learning, and fun.” Additionally, it adheres to the app’s trust and safety guidelines.
Users can personalize the chatbot by giving it a name and customizing the wallpaper for their Chat. The blog post on Snapchat’s website explains that “My AI” can recommend birthday gift ideas, plan a hiking trip, suggest a recipe for dinner, or even write a haiku about cheese for your cheddar-loving friend.
However, Snapchat notes that as with all AI-powered chatbots, “My AI” can be tricked into saying almost anything. The company is trying to avoid a situation like Microsoft’s Bing, which was recently updated with OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. After the launch, people began posting strange and unnerving responses they received from the search engine, leading Microsoft to admit that Bing could be provoked to respond outside of its “designed tone.” Snapchat wants to stay ahead of any potential issues and has warned users that “My AI” has “many deficiencies.” The company even apologized in advance to its users for any problems they might encounter.
It’s important to note that “My AI” is not meant to act as a search engine like Bing. Instead, it’s seen as a persona within Snapchat that users can chat with like they would with their friends. All conversations with “My AI” will be stored and reviewed to improve the product’s experience. Snapchat also reminds users not to share any confidential information with the chatbot or rely on it for advice.
Snapchat’s AI chatbot is designed to avoid biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading information, but mistakes may still occur. The company invites users to submit feedback by pressing and holding on any message from “My AI.” Given the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the increasing trend of AI, it’s not surprising that Snapchat has added an AI chatbot to its messaging platform.
Snapchat emphasizes safety, especially because it caters to a young user base. The chatbot has been designed to avoid harmful or misleading topics and won’t provide responses in such situations. The company believes that over time, AI can add to the app’s experience and foster deeper connections. In the short term, “My AI” may boost the company’s paid subscriber numbers, which have recently surpassed the two million mark.
