Snap has released its “My AI” chatbot to all of Snapchat’s users for free. My AI chatbot can now be added to group chats by mentioning it with an @ symbol, and Snap will let people change the look and name of their bot with a custom Bitmoji avatar. The move comes after initially offering the chatbot to only its three million paid subscribers in March.
Features of My AI Chatbot
The company suggested that the feature could be used to do things like suggest birthday gift ideas for a BFF, plan a hiking trip, suggest dinner recipes, write a poem for a friend, and more. With the global expansion, the feature is being upgraded with new functionality, including the ability to add the chatbot to group chats, get recommendations for places on Snap Map and Lenses, share Snaps with My AI, and receive chat replies.
Regarding the generative AI and its potential harm, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said; “When I compare this to almost any other technology that has been invented in the last 20 years, it’d be hard to name one where people have been more thoughtful about the way it’s being implemented and rolled out.” He added; “To me, that just speaks to the human desire to personalize things and make them feel like they’re their own.”
The Problematic Interaction
Just after its release, the bot went off the rails by responding to a teen girl in an inappropriate manner; the bot made suggestions about how to mask the smell of alcohol and pot at a birthday party. However, Spiegel said that the overwhelming majority of interactions with My AI have been positive. “The thing that gave us a lot of confidence is that as we monitored the way that people were using the service, we found that 99.5 percent of My AI replies conformed to our community guidelines,” he said.
Also read: Snapchat Launches AI Chatbot Powered by OpenAI’s GPT Technology
