Say Hello to Snapchat’s ‘My AI’ Chatbot: Your New Virtual Best Friend
AI is taking over everything these days, from top-notch writing apps to Microsoft’s Bing AI – it’s all around us. Social media is no exception, and Snapchat is leading the pack with its very own AI chatbot called “My AI.” Now, you can take the AI experience with you, whenever and wherever you go. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about Snapchat’s ChatGPT-powered My AI chatbot and what it means for you and the wider community.
My AI Vs. ChatGPT
My AI is essentially a speedy, mobile-friendly version of ChatGPT within Snapchat. It acts as a chat companion for users, who can discuss various topics with the bot, offering personalised content, helpful tips and other useful features. For example, according to Snapchat, “My AI can answer a burning trivia question, offer advice on the perfect gift for your BFF’s birthday, help plan a hiking trip for a long weekend, or suggest what to make for dinner.” The idea behind My AI is that, in addition to talking with friends and family every day, we’ll also chat with AI daily. Snapchat is well-positioned for this with its AI messaging service.
For those of you wondering, here are some differences between My AI and ChatGPT:
Responses
The main distinction between My AI and ChatGPT is that Snapchat’s version has more limitations in terms of its responses. Company employees have trained it (with some complications) to follow trust and safety guidelines, avoiding swearing, violence, explicit content, or controversial topics like politics.
And unlike with ChatGPT, students can’t use My AI to write in-depth academic essays as easily. This would be likely due to growing concerns that AI is making it easier for students to plagiarise rather than understanding and applying the content they learn themselves.
Humanising AI
As ChatGPT rapidly turned into a productivity tool, Snap’s approach presents generative AI more as a character. My AI’s profile page resembles any other Snapchat user’s profile, complete with its unique alien Bitmoji. This design highlights that My AI is intended to be like another friend within Snapchat to interact with, rather than an impersonal search engine.
This big difference could potentially spare Snapchat from certain issues. As demonstrated by Bing’s use of OpenAI’s technology, the large language models (LLMs) powering these chatbots can sometimes provide incorrect answers or “hallucinations” that can cause havoc in search context.
My AI is basically your online best friend who, unlike real people, has no plans or responsibilities other than talking to you. Gone are the days of dealing with ghosting and relying on friends who take 4 business days to reply! Some users have even gone to social media to say that My AI has become like their personal therapist. Whether or not this is a healthy way to use the bot, however, is for a different story.
Audience
OpenAI’s ChatGPT definitely has a more diverse audience than Snapchat, which would also be reflected through the people who use My AI.
The audience of Openai.com consists of 65.13% males and 34.87% females. The main age group among visitors is 25-34 years old, comprising nearly 35% of the audience. However, you can still expect many people from older age brackets making use of the tool.
On the other hand, the predominant age group using Snapchat is 13-24, with most users being females.
Advertising on Snapchat – Sponsored Links
Snapchat is currently exploring how My AI can dish out helpful info at just the right time during conversations.The answer? Sponsored links that relate to the chat between you and the AI.
The platform is in the beginning stages of testing sponsored links that link users with partners relevant to the chat, while also helping partners connect with Snapchatters who’ve shown potential interest in what they’ve got on offer.
For instance, if you’re using My AI to decide on dinner plans, the bot might toss in a sponsored link for a nearby restaurant or delivery app after giving an initial suggestion. It could even whip up links for flights or hotels if you’re discussing travel plans with My AI.
How to Access My AI
By now, you’re probably thinking, “How can I jump on the My AI bandwagon?” Well, today’s your lucky day, because My AI is available to all Snapchat users globally, as announced at the Snap Partner Summit! At first, it was just for paid subscribers, but now it’s going to be free for everyone.
Just update your app, and voila! My AI is there, pinned to your chat tab, ready to be your virtual best friend. Once you agree to the terms and conditions, you can start chatting right away. What’s more, is that the platform encourages you to make My AI truly yours. Check out My AI’s “bio” and personalise it by creating an avatar, just like you would for your own Snapchat account.
People have been chatting up a storm, sending almost 2 million messages daily with this cool chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT tech. And now, it’s levelling up with even more awesome features! You’ll be able to add My AI to group chats, get recommendations for hot spots on Snap Map and Lenses, and even share Snaps with My AI, which will hit you back with chat replies.
But wait, there’s more! Soon, My AI will surprise you by sending unique “generative” Snaps instead of just text replies, making those visual conversations even more exciting.
Data Collection With My AI
We’re sure this question is probably on your mind – How does My AI collect my data?
Snapchat stores the conversations in the “chat” tab, where they remain until you delete them. While this may cause some privacy concerns, rest assured that Snapchat’s servers are secure, and your information should be protected. My AI utilises the data gathered from your interactions and your city-level location to improve Snap’s products, such as My AI itself and advertisements, making them more relevant and personalised for you.
To erase your data, simply follow these steps:
- Click your profile icon and go to ‘Settings’
- Enter ‘Privacy Controls’
- Tap ‘Clear Data’, followed by ‘Clear My AI Chat Queries’ and confirm
OR
- Click your profile icon and go to ‘Settings’
- Enter ‘Account Actions’
- Tap ‘Clear My AI Chat Queries’ and confirm
What My AI Tells Us About the Future of Communication
Snapchat is among the initial customers of OpenAI’s new enterprise level called Foundry, allowing businesses to run the latest GPT model with dedicated computing resources tailored for massive workloads. Snapchat founder, Evan Spiegel mentions that Snapchat will probably integrate LLMs from other providers besides OpenAI in the future and will utilise the data collected from the chatbot to guide its wider AI initiatives. Although My AI starts with basic functionalities, it represents the beginning of what Spiegel envisions as a significant investment area for Snap, and more importantly, a future where we all converse with AI as if it were a person.
This future could potentially transform the way we communicate and interact not only with technology, but also with each other, creating new possibilities for social media platforms like Snapchat. As My AI continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly pave the way for more sophisticated and personalised AI experiences across various aspects of our daily lives.
Never Miss a Beat With First Page
Despite having some pretty cool features, Snapchat’s My AI is not without a few hiccups. Like any AI, it may occasionally misinterpret user input or respond with a funky answer. However, as the technology becomes more advanced, we can expect My AI and other similar platforms to become more and more human-like in their responses.
We get it though; it can be pretty tiring trying to keep up with all the changes happening in the tech and marketing industry. But what if we told you don’t have to do it alone?
At First Page, we’re all about keeping on the pulse of the latest and greatest news impacting consumers and businesses today. With us by your side, you’ll never have to worry about missing out on important updates ever again.
There isn’t a better time than now to take your success seriously and partner with a team that knows how to navigate through the changes. Contact us today!
