Snapchat is launching My AI, its own AI chatbot powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT. According to a Snap blog post, Snapchat users will have access to its new conversational chatbot starting this week, which can make haikus, arrange a hiking trip, and recommend birthday gifts.
The feature is currently only available to premium Snapchat+ subscribers, but the platform intends to make the chatbot available to all users in the future, according to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel.
"The big idea is that in addition to talking to our friends and family every day, we're going to talk to AI every day," Spiegel told The Verge. "This is something we're well positioned to do as a messaging service."
The move comes as major giants like as Meta, Microsoft, and Google race to develop AI models.
My AI is less capable than the existing ChatGPT. According to Snap's blog post, it is "designed to avoid biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading information,"
Snap advises users not to "not rely on it for advice" as "My AI is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything," according to a blog post. My AI purportedly declined to compose academic articles when a reporter from The Verge asked it to.
"My AI was trained to have a unique tone and personality that plays into Snapchat's core values around friendship, learning, and fun," a Snapchat representative told a media agency.
According to Snap, users can name the chatbot and choose a chat wallpaper. According to The Verge, it even has its own alien Bitmoji.
Snapchat hopes that its new AI function will help keep the company financially solvent as it battles to grow its user base and earn revenue. According to Snap's most recent earnings report, the company predicted 375.3 million global daily active users last quarter, but only recorded 373 million. Upon the announcement of the findings, the company's shares plunged 11%.
"Incorporating this technology into Snapchat's messaging platform has the potential to make these interactions with AI part of what draws our community to Snapchat," a Snapchat representative stated.