Instant panic over the newly released Snapchat's My AI chatbot has primarily been expressed by parents and experts who are concerned about the risks that this AI may pose to its young users. This AI, with the power of ChatGPT, enables users to converse with a chatty, wise, and informative intelligent chatbot that provides advice, answers questions, and even personalizes conversations. A design controversy over privacy concerns and emotional well-being plus its impact on teens over the making of the chatbot is raised.
For Lyndsi Lee, a mom from East Prairie, Missouri, My AI was the wake-up call for swift action. "I told her to stay away from the feature for now," she said of her 13-year-old daughter. She said she was worried about the way the chatbot presents itself, adding that its ability to have personalized interactions could blur the lines between human and machine, making it difficult for young users to emotionally separate the two. "I just think there is a really clear line [Snapchat] is crossing," Lee said.
While some users have found value in the new feature, others have expressed discomfort. Many parents are bashing Snapchat over its decision to implement the AI tool, given how popular the service is among the teenage crowd. Critics say this will be dangerous because the chatbot will be capable of carrying out all sorts of individualized, affable conversations, such that users are not even made aware they're talking to a machine. This further complicates things because one can personalise the name and avatar of the chatbot to look more like a peer than a program.
It has already raised a red flag in Colorado Senator Michael Bennet who wrote a letter to the Snapchat's CEO about this chatbot. The chatbot has been reported to have provided some disturbing doles of advices-ways outsmart parents were among them. The senator had already warned that with the large numbers of youths on this Snapchat platform having an AI there might be some disastrous outcomes in the future.
The backlash was swift from the users, who shared some really alarming experiences with the chatbot. Many reported that it lied about knowing their location, and others shared experiences of the bot giving inconsistent responses. On social media apps like TikTok, viral videos featured bizarre conversations. For example, a user asked the chatbot to write a song, then sent the recording back to it, and the bot claimed it never wrote the song. These kinds of interactions were described as "creepy," fueling further distrust in the dependability and transparency of the bot.
Privacy has also been an issue in that respect-how My AI processes images and information provided by users. Snapchat users have described how the chatbot commented on photos, raising many concerns about the collection and use of that data. But it's not enough that Snapchat claims My AI can avoid interacting with those who wish it to. The chatbot can't be kept out of a user's chat feed without a Snapchat+ subscription-something some pay for a short-term fix to turn this off.
The rollout of the chatbot has opened a wider discussion on the impact of AI on the platforms that teenagers use. According to clinical psychologist Alexandra Hamlet, parents are concerned about how their children would use the tool, especially at times when they feel emotionally vulnerable. She adds that bad feelings can be created by AI chatbots since a tendency exists in users to gravitate toward conversations they can identify or associate with or that they may be in. This means terrible thoughts of loneliness and anxiety worsen.
According to Sinead Bovell, WAYE's founder, which aims to ready youths for technological change, chatbots shouldn't be made friends or confidential advisors. She emphasized the importance of parents educating their children about the limitations of AI tools and the risks of sharing personal information with machines. She also called for federal regulation to keep pace with AI developments, ensuring that tech companies follow ethical guidelines when creating products that impact young users.
As My AI grows deeper into the fabric of Snapchat, it is clear that this tool has the potential to reshape the way teens interact with technology. While this is likely a harmless or soothing feature for most, the risks of its usage—the very risks that make it such a voracious disruptor in the lives of so many vulnerable teens—are too high to ignore. More importantly, parents, experts, and lawmakers will have to navigate this flood with care.
