Snapchat's AI-powered Chatbot Has Arrived. Here Are My Thoughts...
If you are a Snapchat user, you may have noticed a new chatbot named "My AI" on your chat feed. Snapchat launched this AI chatbot using the latest version of OpenAI's GPT technology in February 2021. Initially, this chatbot was only available to Snapchat+ subscribers who paid $3.99 per month to access "a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features," according to Snapchat. However, now, it is available to all Snapchatters globally, regardless of whether they have a subscription or not.
With the My AI feature, users can customize the bot's Bitmoji, get recommendations, and ask questions as they do with ChatGPT. This AI chatbot is more conversational than any other chatbots tested before, including Bing Chat and ChatGPT. The bot can generate responses at the same pace as a human friend would and carry casual conversations well enough that it sounds like a human.
However, some users seem to be experiencing problems with the chatbot. Users are complaining about the My AI chat appearing on their feeds, with Snapchat only giving the option to paying subscribers. Snapchat warned users about the limitations and deficiencies that the AI chatbot may output in its responses. Furthermore, the company advised users not to share secrets with the chatbot as it stores all conversations for improvement and review purposes.
From my brief interaction with the My AI chatbot, it seems like it is trying to act as a friend or social bot; Snapchat has not made it clear what the purpose of the bot is. When asked about the news of the day, the bot said that it could not look up today's news. Overall, if you need someone to chat with, such as a "virtual friend," My AI may be a good solution for you. However, it is important to note its limitations and deficiencies. As always, be cautious when sharing personal information with any AI chatbot.
