In response to reports of inappropriate behavior from its AI chatbot, Snapchat is introducing more safeguards to ensure a safer experience for its users. The social media platform’s chatbot, known as My AI, is powered by the OpenAI GPT-4 language-generating technology. After a Washington Post report highlighted the inappropriate nature of responses from the chatbot, Snapchat took it upon itself to make My AI experience safer.
To protect users and make sure the chatbot is responding to the correct age group, Snapchat has now integrated an age filter feature. This new age filter will use the users’ birthdate to ensure that the AI only provides age-appropriate responses. Additionally, parents or guardians will be given more insights into their children’s interactions with the bot. This new feature, located in the Family Center of the app, will give parents and teens the chance to opt-in, allowing them to see how often their teen is conversing with the AI and what topics they are asking about.
My AI is not a real person, and the chatbot learns and adapts to the user’s conversation history. That being said, Snapchat has implemented a new system that is powered by OpenAI moderation technology to assess if a response is potentially harmful. If a user is found to be misusing the chatbot, Snapchat can temporarily restrict their access to My AI.
While AI bots are becoming more prevalent and popular across the web, some are wary of its potential to become biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety. In response to these concerns, Senator Michael Bennet wrote a letter to AI companies, including Snap, expressing concerns about the safety of generating AI tools used by teens.
It is clear that there are still issues with the GPT-4-powered bots. For this reason, Snapchat is making it a priority to keep these AI experiences safe and building an extra layer of guardrails around the chatbot. With these new safeguards in place, parents can be assured that their teens are communicating in a safe and appropriate manner, while also providing them with insights into the conversations.
