Snapchat Faces Backlash Over New AI Feature
Despite the initial positive feedback, users fight back against "My AI". Find out why Snapchat's new Artificial Intelligence chatbot is receiving mixed reviews.
Created on April 24|Last edited on April 25
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Snapchat recently launched its new AI chatbot, "My AI," globally, which has been met with a wave of negative reviews and social media complaints. The AI chatbot was initially available as part of Snapchat's subscription service, Snapchat+, a $3.99-a-month offering that provided early access to new features like My AI [1]. According to Snapchat, “My AI is an experimental, friendly chatbot.” The growth of Snapchat+ has exceeded the company's expectations, with more than 3 million users subscribing to the service. This includes the addition of about a million paying users in the past 11 weeks, following exclusive access to the My AI chatbot.
Surprising Growth
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel expressed his surprise at the growth, attributing it to the release of new features that excite users. Despite the recent growth of Snapchat+, many users are unhappy with the My AI feature, as it appeared without warning or consent and is pinned to the top of the Chat tab, where it cannot be removed, blocked, or unpinned. Users have taken to Twitter to voice their grievances and demand the feature be opt-in only or removable. Snapchat has declined to comment on the situation but stated that Snapchat+ users sent nearly 2 million chats to the AI during early testing. The company claims it is constantly iterating on Snapchat's features based on community feedback but has not committed to removing the AI. A Snapchat spokesperson advised users who did not like the AI feature to simply not use it.
In Search of Profits
Snap is coping with a deceleration in ad revenue by cutting jobs and culling projects that are no longer a priority. This has led to a refocus on efforts to increase user numbers and revenue, as well as augmented reality technology. Snapchat+ was launched in June and made available to a handful of countries, including the US and UK. While the recent growth of Snapchat+ is significant, it remains a small part of Snap's revenue and user base. With 3 million users generating less than $150 million at $4 a month, Snap reported a total of $4.6 billion in revenue last year and has 750 million users [2]. The company is also considering ways for its users to make money on the app, such as giving select creators a cut of revenue if ads run between their Stories posts.
Sources:
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/24/snapchat-sees-spike-in-1-star-reviews-as-users-pan-the-my-ai-feature-calling-for-its-removal/
[2] https://time.com/6273293/snapchat-my-ai-chatbot-subscription/
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