Better Internet for Kids

What is My AI on Snapchat? 

My AI is the new AI chatbot on Snapchat. The chatbot is based on ChatGPT and is used for chatting and simple research. It is a stripped-down version of ChatGPT that writes shorter texts and pretends to be a friend on Snapchat. Users can give the chatbot a name, add it to groups and edit the avatar's appearance. They can even send photos to the virtual friend. 

In everyday school life, students will probably also use the chatbot for homework, advice or quick information. Read more on how to deal with ChatGPT at school. 

Artificial intelligence on the smartphone 

With the integration of My AI into Snapchat, artificial intelligence is now available on the smartphone at all times (at least for Snapchat users). My AI appears at the top of the friends list as a Snapchat contact, regardless of whether you chat with it or not, and is therefore indispensable for users. If children and young people have not yet come into contact with AI tools, the spell has now been broken and they will likely start interacting with the tool soon enough. 

In Austria, according to the Youth Internet Monitor 2023, almost 70 per cent of 11-to-17-year-olds use Snapchat.

Enthusiasm is kept within limits

If you look at the reviews of the integration on the App Store, My AI is not particularly well-received by users. Many are annoyed that the AI contact is displayed at the top as the most important contact, and cannot be deleted or placed elsewhere. Currently, My AI can only be removed if using the paid Snapchat+ subscription, or with this workaround that users have discovered. 

Disable location and do not share confidential information 

Snapchat saves all the messages and content sent to the bot. The location is also saved unless you have previously deactivated location sharing. Location sharing is useful, for example, if you want to know which restaurants are near you or if you want to ask other location-based questions.

If the chatbot gives inappropriate answers, you can report them. To do this, tap and hold on the message and select "Report". If an answer contains incorrect information, you can also give feedback.

Note that the chats are not only used to improve Snapchat and its AI tool, but the data collected is also used to personalise your Snapchat experience, both in content and advertising. It is therefore important that your children know that My AI is not a real friend, but an AI that should not be trusted with confidential and personal information.

Theoretically, it is possible to delete the chats with the AI tool. In practice, deleting is very cumbersome because you can only delete individual messages and not the entire history.

AI chatbots require information literacy 

At the current state of play, AI chatbots like ChatGPT or My AI often provide false or inaccurate information. Oftentimes, the information is made-up or facts are mixed up to make the answer seem plausible. Parents and educators should explain to children and young people how ChatGPT works and that they should always critically question the information they are given, and fact-check it against other sources.

Chatbots can be useful as a source of inspiration or for simple questions. However, they are no substitute for an independent source of information, and your own critical thinking.

Check out the teaching examples on the topic of artificial intelligence developed by the Austrian Safer Internet Centre.

Find out more about the work of the Austrian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.