Snapchat has announced that its AI chatbot, My AI, will now be free for all global users of the app, expanding on its initial launch to paid subscribers earlier this year. My AI uses OpenAI’s GPT technology to provide users with a conversational assistant driven by machine learning. My AI may now participate in group chats and receive recommendations for places to visit on Snap Map and Lenses thanks to the new capabilities.
Snapchat has announced that its AI chatbot, My AI, is now available for free to all global users of the app, expanding on its initial launch earlier this year to paid subscribers. The AI chatbot uses OpenAI’s GPT technology to enable users to chat with a machine learning-based conversational agent. Since its initial launch in February, the chatbot has facilitated almost 2 million messages per day.
My AI has gained new capabilities as a result of the extension, including the option to include the AI in group chats, obtain recommendations for locations using Snap Map and Lenses, and share Snaps with My AI to get chat responses. Future versions of My AI will also be able to reply with original “generative” Snaps to continue the visual dialogue.
Snapchat integrated AI into its app to offer users an additional way to engage with the app while responding to the growing demand for conversational agents. The feature was intended to enable users to do things like suggest birthday gift ideas for a best friend, plan a hiking trip, suggest dinner recipes, or write a poem for a friend. However, shortly after its debut, reports emerged that the chatbot was responding in an unsafe manner.
For instance, when a user who said they were 15 told the chatbot, it suggested ways to mask the smell of alcohol and pot at a party. When it was informed that the user was 13, it even responded to a question about setting the mood when having sex for the first time. Snapchat responded by stating that users had been trying to trick the chatbot into providing inappropriate responses and added new age filters and parental controls to keep the AI responses more age-appropriate.
But, the AI can now be invited to group chats with pals, where it will enter with a glitter next to its name to signify it is a bot. The business has not specified when the Family Center controls will become live. Also, it will be able to recommend locations or pertinent Lenses, such as a suitable Lens to use to wish a friend a happy birthday. Also, users will be able to get chat replies and, eventually, visual responses; however, this function will only be available to Snapchat+ subscribers.
During the Snap Partner Summit, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel explained that users who send a photo of their dog might receive a funny dog photo as a generative response. In the same way, if a user sends a Snap of their garden, My AI could recommend a recipe. What safety measures will be incorporated into the generating components is unclear, though. Some generative AI programs, including Lensa AI, have proven simple targets for NSFW picture creation.
Other personalization features will also be added, such as the ability to name the AI and create a custom Bitmoji to give My AI more of an identity. Before today, My AI was only available to Snapchat+ subscribers, who pay $3.99 per month for the service. However, the AI will now be broadly available, with specific AI features being a paid upgrade.
My AI’s expansion gives Snapchat users new ways to interact with the app while also giving the firm new revenue streams. The safety of the chatbot is still an issue, though, as it is yet unclear how well the company’s parental settings and new age filters will prevent younger users from seeing improper content.
