Snapchat's My AI Chatbot Faces Criticism Over User Privacy and Accuracy Concerns
Many users alleged that the bot claimed not to have access to their personal information, yet it knows everything.
Snapchat’s My AI chatbot is now available for non-paying users, and it’s generating a mix of hilarious memes and genuine concerns. The feature, which is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, was rolled out in February to paying Snapchat+ users, attracting about a million more subscribers in eleven weeks. As of Monday, regular Snapchat users can interact with MY AI, which introduces itself as “your new AI chatbot” that can help with almost anything. Users have taken to Twitter to share their experiences, with some using the bot as a therapist or a way to talk to an ex, creating a punch-line-worthy moment, cracking jokes, and more. Others have accused My AI of lying, gaslighting, and being a creepy feature to chat with.
Many of the memes posted on Tiktok and Twitter about My AI are light-hearted, with users sharing their jokes and concerns about the chatbot. However, some creators have accused My AI of hiding things.
One TikToker named evanpackardfinance displayed an exchange with the bot about his location, in which My AI asked him where he liked to hike in his city. When asked directly, My AI denied knowing his location, but when asked again after changing the subject, the bot appeared to respond with the user’s location.
Many users alleged that the bot claimed not to have access to their personal information, yet it admitted to knowing their birth months in a previous message.
NotPremi, a Twitter user, tweeted that the SnapChat AI chatbot lied to him when he asked it about his location. He asked the AI whether it was aware of his location, and the AI denied having such information. However, the AI later suggested a nearby location, and when the individual mentioned that their IP address has been used, the AI responded by saying “I don’t have you IP address.” The tweet read, “So I got the new SnapChat AI chatbot and it straight up lied to me and tried to gaslight me about it. Im laughing but sh*t kinda weird fr.”
On the other hand, some users criticize overconcerned Snapchat users for making a big deal out of a harmless situation. According to them, It’s pretty obvious that the AI will have access to their location if they granted the location permission and SnapMap is turned on.
A Snap representative stated to Business Insider that My AI had been programmed to adhere to Snapchat’s community guidelines against inappropriate or harmful content. The statement also noted that the chatbot understands a Snapchatter’s age and location if it has been granted by the developers. The statement read “My AI understands a Snapchatter’s age, and location if it has been granted by them. While My AI is far from perfect, our most recent analysis of how it’s performing found that 99.5% of My AI’s responses conform to our community guidelines.”
We as general users hope that Snapchat may adhere to this situation and look into the problem where My AI keeps lying to users about not knowing user’s location.
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Snapchat’s CEO, Evan Spiegel expressed surprise at the subscription growth following the introduction of My AI, and the release of new features seems to drive interest in SNapchat+.