Snapchat's AI: 6 Insights Into Its Role in Modern Tech

Snapchat’s AI: 6 Insights Into Its Role in Modern Tech

Snapchat made headlines in February 2023 after releasing My AI, its in-platform chatbot. The company calls it an all-around assistant that answers trivia questions, suggests recipes, and plans trips, among other daily tasks.

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Despite My AI’s simple interface, it’s a fairly sophisticated tool. You can do so much with it. Here are six reasons Snapchat’s My AI feature is more than just a cool toy.

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1. My AI Runs on GPT-3.5

Snapchat uses the same large language model (LLM) as ChatGPT. The GPT model is a powerful LLM that composes coherent paragraphs, adopts different writing styles, and uses everyday language. Its output almost seems indistinguishable from human writing.

Snapchat’s trainers also use the same datasets. You’ll notice that My AI knows the same things as ChatGPT does, especially with general knowledge questions.

That said, these chatbots follow different restrictions. My AI generally has fewer rules than ChatGPT—it might perform a broader range of tasks.

2. Conversations Retain the Last 3,000 Words

Contextual memory helps AI provide more accurate responses. Instead of taking prompts at face value, chatbots will reference relevant information in active conversations. Let’s say you’re looking for side hustles. AI-driven chatbots will also consider your skills and career background, assuming you provide them.

Of course, all platforms have limited contextual memory. But what’s impressive about My AI is that it shares the same high token limit as ChatGPT .

Take this conversation as an example. We asked My AI to roleplay a fictional character. It maintained the instructed persona even after receiving 2,000+ words of irrelevant information. Other platforms may have dropped prior instructions by this point.

3. My AI Can Pull Real-Time Information

My AI has some access to real-time data. Although it has trouble answering specific questions about current events, it can quickly pull general information online, such as weather forecasts, news headlines, and local events.

Here’s My AI providing the weather forecast for Manila, Philippines. Google and Snapchat use different units of measurement, but they’re essentially the same after conversion.

Try testing the limits of My AI’s accuracy. It pulls updated information from various publications and resources, including those on international events.

4. Snapchat’s Location Services Are Wholly Utilized

Snapchat offers helpful location-based services. It can tell you which establishments and landmarks are near your current location.

Just note that Snapchat also displays your active location if you enable GPS services. But you can turn off this feature to ensure more privacy, Click your avatar on the top-left corner of the screen, then go to > Settings > Privacy Controls > My Location. Toggle the Ghost Mode button to hide your location.

5. My AI Solves Intermediate Word Problems Correctly

A side-by-side comparison of ChatGPT, Bard AI, and Bing Chat shows that AI chatbots struggle with math questions. ChatGPT answers intermediate to advanced math problems better than competitors.

While Bard AI and Bing Chat use more advanced LLMs than Snapchat, My AI surprisingly does well in Math.

Try rephrasing word problems that My AI answers wrong. You’ll generate better output if you compose clear, detailed prompts—avoid vague phrasing.

6. Snapchat Continuously Updates My AI

Snapchat unexpectedly joined the AI race. Initial users responded poorly to My AI—it faced backlash for its faulty training and restrictions. The Washington Post even showed the chatbot providing harmful advice.

These incidents shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but in fairness to Snapchat, it quickly resolved My AI’s security issues. The company enforced stricter guidelines shortly after these reports.

Snapchat also adds new features consistently. Take My AI’s image prompting feature as an example. The chatbot is getting way better at recognizing images, even ones you take yourself. Meanwhile, other chatbots have yet to adopt image prompting.

Try Snapchat’s New AI Assistant

My AI was initially limited to Snapchat+ subscriptions. But Snapchat has made the chatbot available for free users.

Run different prompts once you get access. My AI performs several helpful tasks, like solving math problems, composing essays, and translating foreign languages to English.