Back in 2011, Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy founded Snapchat, embodying their idea of disappearing content in social media. The platform quickly gained popularity among young users. Over the past 14 years, the app has evolved by integrating various features, from video calls to the era of filters. In recent years, AI has also entered this space, and the app’s developers have introduced Snap AI.

AI Integration in Snapchat and Launch of Snap AI

In 2023, Snapchat introduced an AI chatbot, My AI, marking the beginning of generative AI models within the platform. This new feature initially launched with a $3.99 monthly fee, available only to Snapchat Plus users.

These users could find an additional “friend” in their account, one that resembled not just a separate AI feature but a personality they could chat with, just like any other friend. Essentially, My AI functioned similarly to ChatGPT but was simplified within Snapchat – limiting responses related to profanity, complex topics, academic writing, and more.

The idea behind it was that sooner or later, we would be interacting not only with our loved ones, colleagues, or friends but also with AI. This step by Snap opened up a new interactive communication experience for users, as the AI chatbot gradually learns from and analyses the user’s behaviour. Over time, this interaction could even resemble a real friendship.

AI is significantly transforming the social media market, and we can observe that tech giants owning the most popular media platforms are integrating and offering AI-powered solutions to users. To remain competitive in the industry, there is no way back – only forward, following the latest trends.

Recently, Snapchat introduced its AI text-to-image research model designed for mobile devices. The company claims that this Snap AI model is compact and fast, capable of generating high-resolution images in approximately 1.4 seconds using an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

What makes this model stand out is that it operates entirely on-device, reducing computational costs compared to models running on servers. As a result, Snapchat can offer users high-quality AI products at a lower operational cost.

What News of Snap AI Brings to Users?

These innovations provide users with an entirely new experience. For those lacking creativity, editing skills, or design expertise, AI tools become an excellent alternative for achieving high-quality results. Additionally, such tools are often fast, significantly shortening the creative process.

However, these innovative features also introduce certain risks. One of them is misinformation. We live in an era where AI capabilities are vast, and it can be used for purposes that are not always noble. Snap AI tools, such as the text-to-image function, could generate and spread misleading or even compromising visuals, potentially fuelling debates and controversies.

Another concern is ethics. When Snapchat first launched its AI chatbot, both users and industry experts raised various discussions. Some of these debates stemmed from the fact that Snapchat is widely used by a young audience, who may irresponsibly or unknowingly cross boundaries regarding safe information sharing. Furthermore, AI-generated images rely on datasets, raising additional ethical concerns.

Likewise, discussions also arise regarding data protection and privacy. It remains unclear how exactly data is collected and whether Snap AI truly does not have access to sensitive information, such as a user’s location.

Final Word

Looking at the example of Snap AI, we can see that AI technology is gradually taking over creative decision-making through features like text-to-image generation. This may create concerns among visual content creators regarding their future. However, it is also important to recognize that there will be an increasing demand for specialists who know how to work with and utilize such programs effectively. Additionally, many questions still need to be resolved in the field of intellectual property.

Despite concerns, we can see that social media platforms are enhancing user experiences by integrating AI tools that are both convenient and beneficial. By personalizing user interactions and making content creation more accessible, these tools unlock entirely new opportunities.

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Sources: BBC, TechCrunch, TheStreet, The Verge, Snap Inc.