Snapchat’s My AI – Why this ChatGPT Powered Chatbot Facing Backlash?

At its annual developer conference, Snapchat announced that it would launch its ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot called “My AI” to every user for free. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between public and private posts and incentivize content creators through revenue sharing for viral content.

As of now, the feature was exclusive to Snapchat Plus subscribers until February of this year but is now accessible to everyone. You can interact with My AI chatbot in the Chat section, where over 200 million people have sent over 20 billion messages to My AI. The most talked-about topics related to AI are Cars and Sports, with a whopping 73 million conversations, followed by topics such as Pets, Shopping, Gadgets, etc.

The aim is to make  AI a part of the everyday life of people. Just like people talk to their family and friends every day they can also talk to AI every day. This move is particularly beneficial for those who might not have someone to talk to regularly, making AI a valuable companion. It essentially functions as a mobile-friendly version of ChatGPT within Snapchat, offering more restricted responses compared to ChatGPT alone.

Features of Snapchat My AI Chatbot

• Users can send their Snapchats and even receive a chat reply
• By using the @ symbol users can also include the bot in group conversations and can even ask a question on behalf of the group
• Users can create a personalized “Bitmoji” and name their personal AI bot. 
• It allows users to learn about various topics like movies, sports, pets, and other topics.
• It also offers QnAs, recommendations, assistance with users’ plans, and writing haiku in seconds.
• Users can give a name and design a custom Bitmoji avatar to personalize it more. 

It will assist its users in their personal stuff like suggesting birthday gift ideas for their close ones, in planning where to go for holidays, suggesting recipes, and even helping with essays for schools and poetries and so on. 

Users can personalize this experience further by giving it a name and adding and customizing a wallpaper of their chat.

It is made according to the safety guidelines. It will not give any kind of response that includes explicit content or content covering sensitive topics like politics etc. The company has promised that “My AI” will avoid any kind of biased, harmful, incorrect, or misleading information. 

Despite its many advantages this tool also has certain risks like it still has the potential to spread inaccurate information and to respond to users in the appropriate manner. This can lead to emotional turmoil for people talking to it as they will be talking to it like a friend.

The long-term goal of the company is to increase its user base of currently 406 million daily active users, since the business is struggling because of an enormous number of excellent competitors available in the market. The company has a vision of the future when it will be normal for people to talk to AI. The company is taking a step ahead to introduce an invitation in the everyday lives of the people. This ambition aligns with the broader technological landscape where human-AI interactions are increasingly prevalent. Considering the fact that over 200 million people have sent over 20 billion messages to Snapchat’s My AI, this emphasizes the rising interest and acceptance of AI as a conversational partner.

Snapchat My AI Chatbot User Review 

People earlier used Snapchat a lot but after “My AI”, people aren’t liking that AI has got embedded in their personal inboxes. These people interact. 

Apptopia which is an app data provider where people give the impact score on the scale of -10 to 10. The impact score measures the impact on the sentiment of the people. And Snapchat received an impact score of -9.2. Snapchat received three times more 1-star ratings in comparison to other apps.

In the US from Apple’s App Store also Snapchat mostly got one rating. 

In the UK it got mixed reviews. Some people complained that they were unable to access the features while some praised Snapchat for its features. 

Some were critical of “My AI” whether it can access private information or not. In response to this Snapchat clarified that it will only access the user’s location if the user gives consent.

Snapchat User’s Data Privacy Concerns

Snapchat takes care of people’s privacy and this is one of their top priorities. They try to collect the minimum data. For users location sharing is off by default and can only be shared if given consent. If users share their location with Snapchat then it would be more useful for them only as Snapchat will provide them with filters and suggestions based on their geography and demography.

Snap Map also offers users the option to share their location with their friends on Snapchat they choose to share. They cannot share with people who aren’t their friends. 

Similarly in “My AI” also when a user uses it for the first time then they will receive a notice where an explanation will be given that it may use the information they share on Snapchat to personalize responses. The purpose of “My AI” is just to personalize recommendations based on people’s location in response to people’s requests. For example, if you search for restaurants in your location then Snapchat will show you the results accordingly. If users will refuse to share their location then this feature would be missing from “My AI”. The purpose of the company is just to make “My AI” useful for the users in every way possible.

Cyber security is a major concern in today’s technologically advanced era. And knowing how your personal information is being used at least provides you with a sense of transparency and trustworthiness.

Conclusion

Snapchat has introduced a feature called “MY AI” with which people can communicate with AI as a friend. The purpose here is to introduce talking to AI in the everyday life of people and make it normal. It has a vision that in the future people will communicate with AI as they communicate with other people.