On Tuesday night, users of Snapchat shared their experiences regarding the AI chatbot encountering some problems.
To be more precise, the AI, known as ‘My AI,’ unexpectedly uploaded a cryptic Story on its profile and stopped its typical responsive behaviour in text conversations. This unexpected change caused a sense of unease among several users.
The social media app introduced My AI earlier in the year. Powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology, My AI is an experimental and friendly chatbot that can answer your burning questions, offer advice on the perfect gift for your friend’s birthday, help plan a trip, and even suggest what to make for dinner. And the more you interact with My AI, the better it gets to know you, just like a real friend.
But unfortunately, this week, the AI ceased performing these functions and instead began replying to all chat messages with a uniform default response: “Apologies, I have encountered a technical problem 😳”
Adding to this, ‘My AI’ shared its inaugural and sole Story on its profile too. Although Student Circuit couldn’t access the story, as it has been removed, videos circulated by users on social media suggest that the story lasted for approximately one second. The content of the Story depicted a plain beige expanse, with the upper quarter of the screen displaying another pale, even tone. This occurrence has triggered user conjecture that the imagery might represent a wall and ceiling.
A representative from Snapchat verified that there was indeed an interruption in the functioning of My AI but assured that the issue has now been rectified.
Many criticised the AI’s prominence on the app when it was first launched, with some even “review bombing” Snapchat’s App store. Some also expressed confusion over how the app uses location data.
My AI is pinned to the top of users’ chat feeds and only paid subscribers can remove it. This has led to online criticism and confusion.
However, Snap has addressed these concerns clarifying that My AI “does not collect any new location information” from its users and that location data is only accessed if users consent to share it.
Content shared with My Ai will be used by My AI to improve Snap’s products and personalise your experience, including ads.
