Snapchat users found a major issue with the platform’s GPT-powered My AI feature on 15 August when it posted a Story to its profile and stopped responding to text messages.
The mysterious incident led several users to express their apprehension over the manner in which the feature acted on its own volition, with some adding to the contentious debate around artificial intelligence (AI).
All about the Snapchat My AI Story issue
A post that apparently showed a wall
The My AI chatbot on Snapchat posted a Story on its profile which lasted a duration of just one second. It was the first Story ever posted by the chatbot on its own profile.
The story was deleted but several users had captured screenshots and recordings of it by then.
WHY DID MY SNAPCHAT AI POST A STORY!?!?!?!? pic.twitter.com/Mc6P1cumCC
— mandi 💖 (@hayleytaylorzac) August 16, 2023
Anyone else’s Snapchat My AI post to their story??? pic.twitter.com/8DNAKe1JXI
— Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) August 16, 2023
Videos shared by several users on social media shows that the Story contained no text. All it showed was what some users have described as a wall or part of a ceiling. It was divided into two blocks of colour — beige and purple. A diagonal line that ran across the upper part of the screen separated the two.
Snapchat calls it “temporary outage”
Users also flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to air their grievances. Snapchat Support responded to several of the queries mostly saying, “My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.”
However, users continued to point out that they were still facing problems with My AI.
Hi. My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.
— Snapchat Support (@snapchatsupport) August 16, 2023
Hey there. My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.
— Snapchat Support (@snapchatsupport) August 16, 2023
Hi there. My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved
— Snapchat Support (@snapchatsupport) August 16, 2023
Hi. My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.
— Snapchat Support (@snapchatsupport) August 16, 2023
When some users asked My AI about the Story it posted, the chatbot simply responded with a message reading: “Sorry, I encountered a technical issue.”
Despite persistent queries about what it did, My AI kept insisting that it does not have the “ability” to post a Story and even attempted to divert the topic in some cases.
In several cases, My AI even started ignoring text messages by users.
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What is Snapchat My AI feature?
Snapchat started rolling out the My AI chatbot on 27 February for Snapchat+ users. It runs on OpenAI’s GPT technology, the same large language model (LLM) on which ChatGPT is built and trained.
The feature is designed to help Snapchat users find quick solutions to any issue they may face while using the app or recommendations such as places to visit and dine. It can also respond to chats other users send on Snapchat.
Say hi to My AI 👻 pic.twitter.com/mZW0TNEuJj
— Snapchat (@Snapchat) February 27, 2023
At the time of its launch, Snapchat cautioned users that they should not “share any secrets with My AI” or rely on it for advice.
“While My AI is designed to avoid biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading information, mistakes may occur. Please press and hold on any message from My AI to submit feedback. We look forward to hearing about your experience with My AI,” Snapchat said in a statement.
(Hero and Featured images: Alexander Shatov/@alexbemore/Unsplash)
