- Snapchat's AI tool made its debut across the application last week, and users aren't loving it.
- The chatbot's inescapable presence, at the top of the Chat feed, has irked users.
Snapchat has a new friend for users — and they want nothing to do with it.
My AI, Snapchat's ChatGPT-powered chatbot, launched to all Snapchat users earlier this month, and ever since, the app has been met with a surge of one-star reviews in the App Store.
Over the past week, the app's average rating dropped to 1.67 with 75% of reviews being one-star, according to data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower that was cited by Techcrunch. In the first quarter of the year, before My AI was rolled out to all users, the average rating was 3.05, per the Sensor Tower data, and only 35% of reviews were one-star.
The feature, which offers a more stripped down version of OpenAI's now ubiquitous tool, was first introduced to Snapchat+ subscribers at the end of February. On April 19, it was rolled out to the general Snapchat userbase.
The wave of backlash stemming from the tool's inescapable presence. My AI is pinned to the top of users' Chat feeds, a space typically used to engage with non-virtual friends.
Only paying Snapchat+ subscribers can turn off the chatbot. Regular users are forced to be met by My AI whenever they want to send a snap to a friend.
"I have had Snapchat for years, i love it, i love being able to talk to friends, send funny pictures to each other, have memories, etc. with that being said, this new Al that has been added is the dumbest thing anyone could do," one annoyed user wrote in her App Store review.
"Honestly I think it's so stupid. There's no need for it and it's ridiculous that you can't unpin it. Or how you can't get rid of it unless you pay for Snapchat+," another App Store review said.
The tool's access of personal information — including a user's location — has also been criticized for being creepy. There have been numerous posts across Reddit and TikTok that express concerns that AI claims ignorance about knowing a user's location but is able to suggest nearby businesses or establishments.
"AI claims it doesn't know your location, then recommends things around your location. AI claims it can't see photos, but describes exactly what's in the photo you send it," read another App Store review.
Snap did not reply to a request for comment from Insider regarding the overall negative response to My AI, but in response to a previous story the company said that "My AI understands a Snapchatter's age, and location if it has been granted by them."
"While My AI is far from perfect, our most recent analysis of how it's performing found that 99.5% of My AI's responses conform to our community guidelines." the statement continued.
Snapchat is not alone: As the arms race for AI-powered tools rages on, many major tech companies have launched versions of chatbots, like Microsoft's Bing and Google's Bard, to the tune of widespread interest.
While the public has been interested in engaging with this technology, there have been some concerns about the ethics, accuracy, and safety of these tools.