Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 500 million daily active users. It allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after a few seconds, as well as create stories and chat with friends. However, behind the fun and filters, there is a hidden danger: Snapchat’s artificial intelligence (AI).

Here, we will explain what is Snapchat AI, the potential risks it poses, and how to protect your privacy and security from it. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the implications of Snapchat’s AI and how to avoid its pitfalls.

What is Snapchat AI?

Snapchat AI is a feature that allows you to chat with a human-like AI chatbot on Snapchat, a popular social media app. You can ask My AI questions, request suggestions, or have a casual conversation with it. Snapchat AI is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art AI model that can produce natural and diverse text from any input. 

You can access My AI by tapping the speech bubble icon at the bottom of your screen and selecting “My AI” from your chats. You can also add My AI as a friend by searching for “My AI” on the Chat page or by tapping “Add Friend” on the “Say hi to My AI!” Snapchat episode.

What Does Snapchat AI Collect?

Snapchat AI can be fun and useful, but it also poses some risks to the user’s privacy and security. For example, Snapchat AI can collect and store biometric data from the user’s face, such as the shape, size, and position of the eyes, nose, mouth, and other facial features. Snapchat AI collects user data such as:

• Personal identification data: This includes your name, date of birth, username, phone number, and email address that you provide when you create an account.
• Other activity data: Includes your location data, device information, and usage patterns, such as when you send snaps, who you chat with, and what content you view or create.
• Messaging and snap data: Includes the photos, videos, audio, text, and stickers that you send or receive on Snapchat, as well as the filters and effects that you apply to them.
• Device data: This includes the hardware and software model and the OS of your device, such as Android or iOS, as well as the browsers, apps, keyboards, and languages that you use.

Risks Associated With Snapchat AI

• Privacy risks: Snapchat AI collects and processes users’ personal data, such as their messages, birth date, and location. 
• This may pose privacy risks if the data is not adequately protected or used for other purposes.
• Safety risks: My AI may not always give appropriate or accurate responses to users, especially children and teenagers. 
• Some of the responses may be harmful, such as encouraging risky behaviors, giving dangerous advice, or exposing users to inappropriate content.
• Ethical risks: My AI may not respect users’ values, preferences, or emotions. It may also manipulate users’ opinions, feelings, or actions. 
• Moreover, it may not be clear to users that they are chatting with an AI, not a human.

Protect Privacy And Security From Snapchat AI

To Protect your privacy and enhance security from Snapchat AI, you should exercise caution in your postings, messages, and chats within the app. Moreover, if you wish to minimize exposure to Snapchat AI, you have a couple of alternatives to follow.

Eliminate My AI from your Chat screen

To remove My AI from your Chat screen on Snapchat, begin by opening the Snapchat app on your device. Locate the My AI icon on your Chat screen and press and hold on it, then navigate to Chat Settings and tap “Clear From Chat Feed“, followed by confirming your choice.

Unpin Snapchat AI

To unpin My AI from your Chat screen, tap on your profile icon within the app, typically located in the top left or top right corner and tap settings menu, look for the Snapchat+ section, and locate the toggle switch for My AI. Turn off the My AI toggle by sliding it to the off position. This effectively unpins My AI from your Chat screen.

Delete Snapchat AI Data

To clear your My AI data on Snapchat, access the settings. Once in Settings, navigate to the “Account Actions” section and scroll down to locate “Clear My AI Data.” Tap on this option and confirm your decision when prompted. This action ensures the removal of My AI data associated with your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Snapchat AI is an experimental chatbot that allows users to interact with a friendly and intelligent agent. However, it also poses some risks to users’ privacy and security, such as exposing personal information, receiving biased or inaccurate responses, or encountering harmful or misleading content.

Therefore, users should be careful and responsible when using Snapchat AI, and avoid sharing confidential or sensitive information with it. They should also exercise their rights to access, delete, or correct their data, and report any issues or complaints to Snapchat or the relevant authorities.