Snapchat’s recent generative AI update allows users’ content to be displayed publicly. This includes faces, voices, videos, photos and text. This content will be charred on chat screens, stories, or the AI snaps in your memories.
This feature’s purpose is to train generative AI. Snapchat is aiming to improve the quality and safety of AI for its users. This is why AI uses photos, videos, faces, voices and text. “It makes me feel uncomfortable to know that my face or voice is being used by AI or displayed online for others to see,” said senior Isabella Yarbrough.
When the feature was released, it was automatically turned on with no prior announcement informing users of the addition. If users are not aware of this feature, their content could be displayed online for anyone to see.
Even though users can turn off the public content sharing feature for the AI, they may not know about the feature. “I didn’t know this was a feature until I saw a video about it on TikTok,” said senior Isabella Yarbrough. Other people could be in similar situations, not knowing about the feature.
Snapchat is targeted towards a younger audience: preteens, teens and young adults. A feature that automatically uses their content without their notice makes it dangerous. The threat of Snapchat AI is further enhanced as users are unable to remove the “my AI” chatbot from their accounts; they can only unpin it from your chat feed.
However, there are some benefits from AI. Students are able to use AI to help them better understand their schoolwork. “I like using AI to help me study for math because it gives me step-by-step solutions to solve the problems,” said PV senior Jace Rice.
Even though there are benefits from AI, it is important to understand the risk it presents to users’ privacy. If Snapchat is going to have a feature that allows AI to use and share users’ content, the app should alert all users before enabling the feature. AI should be able to be improved without users’content being shared. If AI does require users’ content to improve then users should be alerted.
