Ever wish that there was someone who would answer 24/7, no matter what? Well, Snapchat, a popular social media app, created just that thing. Recently, Snapchat added a new feature called “My AI.” It is essentially an artificially intelligent “friend” that answers at all times.
Powered by ChatGPT technology, the AI can offer recommendations, answer questions and converse with users. Not only that, users can name their AI and customize their Bitmoji avatar.
“I named mine ‘Kitten Helper,’ and I made it purple,” senior Nick Paganini said.
The AI feature appears at the top of a user’s screen. However it can’t be removed from the top, and some find it a little annoying.
“I don’t really use the AI because I’m not really interested in it. It kind of creeps me out. It also annoys me that it’s on the top of my Snapchat and I can’t get rid of it,” senior Finley Paxton said.
The only way to get rid of the AI is to buy Snapchat Premium.
“The fact that I can’t get rid of it is throwing me off. I’m not buying Snapchat Premium to get rid of it. That’s dumb. Instead, I’ll just harass my AI and annoy it,” senior Daniel Lewis said.
Since Lewis decided he wanted to annoy his AI, he started sending chats pretending to be a cat and meowing. In return, the AI said that it was happy to see Lewis committed to a kitty persona, and that it was a fun and playful way to express himself.
“I love that it thinks I’m a kitty now. I got it to call me kitty. I also told it to meow with me, and it did,” Lewis said.
Aside from having fun with the AI and prompting it to say funny things, some find it very unsettling.
“It’s creepy and I want to get rid of it, but I can’t,” senior Dakota Reinhart said.
Some also find it really weird that the AI knows their location.
“It’s a little weird. I asked it where I lived, and it said it didn’t know. But when I asked for places near me, it knew. I asked the nearest pizza place, and it told me the direct route to Conway Pizza,” senior Trent McCray said.
Another feature of the AI is that while chatting in a group chat, users can “@” the AI in the chat. This brings it into the conversation even though it wasn’t messaged directly.
“I’ve seen the AI mentioned in a group chat before, and it’s weird and unneeded because then it says something even though it isn’t in the chat,” Paxton said.
As for the helpful recommendations that the AI gives, some people find merit in what it says.
“Someone I know asked her AI for a weekly meal plan. It even asked if she wanted the recipes for the meal plan it gave her. I thought it was a smart idea,” Ms. Ruthanne Gudzan said.
All in all, people’s opinions of the new AI differ, but most can agree that it is slightly strange.
“I think that the Snapchat AI could maybe be helpful for someone who needs someone or thing to talk to, but it’s still really strange,” senior Evan Blinn said.