Snapchat users freak out when the "My AI" chatbot posts a video story
Earlier this year, Snapchat launched its own conversational chatbot powered by ChatGBT. At the time, Snapchat warned its subscribers that its My AI chatbot, like all AI chatbots, is prone to giving incorrect answers due to "hallucinations." Snapchat told users, "While My AI is designed to avoid biased, incorrect, harmful or misleading information, mistakes may occur […] As with all AI-powered chatbots, My AI is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything."
Snapchat continued, "Please be aware of its many deficiencies, and sorry in advance! All conversations with My AI will be restored and may be reviewed to improve the product experience. Pleases do not share any secrets with My AI and do not rely on it for advice."
CNN reported earlier this week that Snapchat users were panicking on Tuesday night after My AI started acting strangely. Typically, My AI answers questions and has conversations with Snapchat users. But on Tuesday night, the My AI feature did things out of character which concerned Snapchat users who thought that the chatbot had become sentient. Among these actions, My AI posted a video story of a wall and a ceiling; typically only humans can create a video story.
Did Snapchat Ai just add a picture of my wall/ceiling to their Snapchat story?
— Matt Esparza (@matthewesp) August 16, 2023
Snapchat AI - Left
My wall/ceiling- Right pic.twitter.com/bh8I3Aiwun
On social media, one Snapchat user wrote, "Why does My AI have a video of the wall and ceiling in their house as their story?" Another said, "This is very weird and honestly unsettling." Snapchat eventually explained that the My AI feature wasn't being enhanced and that the suspicious and eerie photos it posted as a story on the app were the result of nothing more than a glitch. A Snapchat spokesman said, "My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.
Snapchat's version of ChatGPT allows users to pick a name for the chatbot, design a custom bitmoji for it, and share access to My AI with friends. The result is that chatting with My AI feels more like talking to a friend instead of an AI chatbot. But users have been complaining about privacy fears, "creepy exchanges," and the inability to remove the chatbot from their feeds unless they pay up for a premium subscription.
After Tuesday night, frightened Snapchat users might be more concerned about My AI and could become more vocal about their fears.
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