Snapchat’s My AI feature, an in-app AI chatbot, posted its story without authorization. After this unusual behavior, it stopped responding to some people’s messages.
Snapchat users found it very concerning; one person took to Twitter and said:
“My Snapchat AI posted a random 1-second story and isn’t replying to me, AND IM FREAKED OUT,”
My Snapchat AI posted a random 1 second story and isn’t replying to me AND IM FREAKED OUT
— Ryan™ (@RyanJKrul) August 16, 2023
Another user jokingly said, “It went sentient.”
It went sentient
— Zander (@Zander0009) August 16, 2023
The story My AI posted on Snapchat was just two colors, which some users thought resembled a ceiling, adding to the confusion. When users tried to chat with the AI, it sometimes said, “Sorry, I encountered a technical issue,” making the situation even more unusual and hard to believe.
To end the mystery, Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, swiftly clarified the incident, attributing it to a technical glitch rather than an intentional action. A spokesperson said, “My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.”
In February, they launched My AI, powered by ChatGPT, for premium service subscribers. Shortly afterward, they made it accessible for free to all Snapchat users. For now, Snapchat AI can only respond to users via text. However, the story raised many concerns regarding safety and curiosity about the new functionality that would allow My AI to post its own stories. A spokesperson responded, “At this time, My AI does not have the Stories feature.”
Nonetheless, it may sound bizarre for now, but it would be interesting to see what My AI has for us in the future.