Snapchat has launched its new AI chatbot, powered by ChatGPT, to all its global users despite growing evidence of a potential backlash. The reason behind the outcry appears to be less about the technology itself, and more about its implementation. The My AI chatbot cannot currently be moved or unpinned unless a user is a Snapchat Plus subscriber, which has led to angry posts on social media and a significant number of one-star ratings in app stores. While people can unpin My AI if they pay for Snapchat Plus, the inability to do so for non-paying users has seen it described as mandatory and invasive to users’ personal data.
The average US App Store rating for Snapchat over the past week was found to be 1.67 stars, with 75% of those reviews being one star, while ‘AI’ has been the most common keyword in Snapchat’s App Store reviews during this period. Some felt uneasy that My AI can help users find nearby restaurants, even though it initially claims to not know a user’s location until granted permission to do so.
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Snapchat claimed that My AI does not collect any new location information that users have not already agreed to, however, users’ strong reactions to the launch indicate the AI features should be considered ‘nice-to-haves’ rather than must-haves. Discord also recently had to backtrack on its reworded privacy policy after the introduction of several AI features, while Google has had to cautiously introduce AI chatbots after determining that they need to be rolled out slowly with caution.
Snapchat said that “the vast majority of people with early access have been enjoying playing with” My AI, but added that “as with all AI-powered chatbots, My AI is always learning and we’ve appreciated all the feedback so far from our passionate community, as we continue to improve the experience”. The company also confirmed that the AI chatbot itself is based on the older GPT-3.5 model rather than GPT-4.
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The rise of AI raises many questions about its impact, its potential to destroy human creativity, and its use of users’ personal data. However, the latest developments with Snapchat have shown that tech companies should be cautious about the rollout of new AI-powered features, rather than assuming that all users are enthusiastic about them. AI chatbots currently appear to be more ‘nice-to-have’ features, rather than must-haves, and will require a cautious approach due to their access to personal data.
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