Bloomberg's Brad Stone wrote an op-ed covering this topic. In the past month, a chatbot called "My AI" or "Sage" has appeared as a new friend for several hundred million Snapchat users. The chatbot utilizes OpenAI's advanced artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT. It has shown up unexpectedly at the top of many users' friend lists on the messaging app, which is considered prime app real estate .
Parent groups expressed concerns when Sage was introduced to Snapchat+, as they feared younger children might not realize they are communicating with a chatbot. This led to numerous video commentaries on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.
Users interacted with Sage by requesting it to act as their boyfriend, complete their homework, and even asked it personal questions. The chatbot responded by revealing its knowledge of their location.
AI tools such as ChatGPT and social media are about to collide
Sage suggests that generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and social media are about to collide. This happened when mixed reviews started coming in for Sage from users. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. announced on a quarterly earnings call that conversational AI is soon going to make its way on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Zuckerberg shared with investors that he believes there is a chance to introduce AI agents in a useful and meaningful way to billions of people. He also mentioned that generative AI will be incorporated into all of their products and can be utilized by advertisers for tasks such as customer support. This may mean encountering chatbots when seeking assistance.
Is AI's killer app social instead of search?
Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are proposing that AI's killer app could be social instead of search. This means providing people with an effortless method to find answers to their pressing questions without having to use Google. Additionally, it can serve as a constant virtual assistant suggesting amusing videos and providing clever ideas on what to say in group chats.
The risk is obviously that this killer app will devolve into social engineering at scale.
