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Culture > Digital

Is Snapchat’s New ‘My AI’ Feature Helpful or Creepy?

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.

Last week, Snapchat gave all users access to its new feature “My AI”. This feature is a customizable chatbot, powered by ChatGPT, that everyone with the most up-to-date version of the app can now interact with. My AI is pinned to the top of your chat tab, making it easy to find. Users are able to customize their My AI’s name and Bitmoji appearance to make their experience more personal.

The Snapchat Team itself describes My AI as “there to help and to connect you more deeply to the people and things you care about most.” It is designed to help you work through everyday decisions, such as what you should wear to an event or what you should have for lunch. The more information you reveal to My AI, the more it gets to know you and can give you a more personable response.

While this some people might find this new feature fun and helpful, others are not enjoying it. According to TechCrunch, 75% of U.S. App Store reviews over the last seven days have been one-star and the keyword “AI” was mentioned 2,973 times. Many users are frustrated by the fact you cannot block, remove, or unpin this feature from your account.

People are beginning to take their thoughts and reactions of My AI to TikTok. Many users are finding it unsettling how My AI knows your location, regardless of whether or not you are sharing it, then will lie to you or try to conceal how it knows this information. Kind of creepy, right?

Others seem to be having a litte more fun messing around with the new feature:

Do you think My AI will be around for the long haul? And will it change the way we communicate? It will be interesting to find out the answers to these questions. In the meantime, happy chatting (or not)!

Meg is a senior (2024) at UNH majoring in communication and minoring in business administration. She loves traveling, shopping, going to the beach, and coffee!