How to make My AI go away on Snapchat? Real person claim, safety, and more explored

Instant messaging platform Snapchat rolled out its latest feature, an AI-based chatbot, My AI, to all users on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

While the feature was first introduced in early 2023 to Snapchat+ subscribers, the social media platform has now made it free for all of its 375 million users. One can interact with the robot about any topic they like in a conversational manner.

According to Snapchat's CEO, Evan Spiegel, My AI was developed to help improve the app's user experience by helping people navigate through its features, recommend filters, etc.

He described the feature as "an awesome creative tool", stating that it created bedtime stories for his kids and gave him helpful recommendations for his wife's birthday.

However, many were not happy with the chatbot's placement on top of their feeds, even above their pinned chats. Furthermore, one cannot currently delete the feature unless they have a Snapchat Plus subscription, a move that has left several users disappointed.

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Snapchat's My AI is a program powered by ChatGPT, another popular chatbot

ChatGPT was developed in November 2022 by the open-source AI research lab, OpenAI, founded by Elon Musk. Much like ChatGPT, the My AI can do most things the former can, including answering trivia questions, recommending movies, gifts, and even lenses, and helping plan a trip.

In addition to chatting with the bot, netizens have the option to add the AI to their group chats by tagging My AI (@My AI) in their group.

Snapchat users have the option to customize the avatar for My AI if the randomized one is not to their liking. It works much like editing one's own bitmoji. Users can also personalize it with a unique name and background.

Only Snapchat+ subscribers can remove My AI from their chat feed. One method is to Navigate to the Chat screen by swiping left on the camera screen and holding down on "My AI." Then choose "Chat Settings" and then tap "Clear from Chat Feed."

Alternatively, one can:

1. Open Snapchat
2. Tap on one's Bitmoji in the top left corner
3. Then choose settings located in the upper right-hand corner
4. Scroll down to "Privacy Controls"
5. Select "Clear Data"
6. Tap on "Clear Conversations"
7. Select the "X" next to "My AI" to remove it from the Chat Feed.

While the Open AI-powered chatbot cannot prompt a conversation or send AI-generated snaps, it is something the company is working on developing. However, several people reported that the AI felt real and the conversations felt very human-like.

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My AI sparks safety and privacy concerns among users

In an experiment, Aza Raskin, the co-founder of Center for Humane Technology, signed up as a 13-year-old on the app and chatted with My AI. His co-founder, Tristan Harris, shared the ensuing conversation on Twitter which showed My AI encouraging the "13-year-old" to get into a relationship with a 31-year-old and even gave tips on how to make their "first time" special.

The company explained that the AI is still "experimental" and shared a disclaimer:

Spiegel added that all conversations with My AI are monitored by the company. This led many to question how much data the AI already has access to and what information to share with the bot.

As a rule of thumb, treat the chatbot as an unknown stranger and do not share personal or private information.

Following Raskin's experiment, Snapchat took the initiative to fix the problem. However, its website added that despite the feature being programmed so that any information it provides is not harmful, it will not always be successful to dodge "violent, hateful, s*xually explicit, or otherwise dangerous" content.

It also stated that a "Family Center" is in the works which allows parents to monitor their children's conversations with the AI. Meanwhile, any chats with My AI can be reported by pressing down on the conversation and tapping report. One might be prompted to detail the issue before submitting.