It is clear that Snapchat is an extremely popular app amongst teenagers, giving individuals the opportunity to attain “streaks” with their friends, which roughly signifies the number of days they have been sending pictures back and forth. This app has transformed my world as I am constantly surrounded by friends who spam on their private stories or message me expressing concern about losing our streaks. Recently, Snapchat has become a chore for me, and with the recent addition of an artificial intelligence chatter, I can only feel even more disappointed with the direction Snapchat is taking.

The new AI feature allows you to have a conversation and change the appearance of the AI, which is pinned to the top of your screen. This new feature allows you to ask almost any question to your AI and get specific responses. This development on Snapchat depicts how our world is becoming even more integrated with technology than ever before. As a new feature, it can cause privacy issues as there is a risk that the information shared with the AI be mishandled. 

To maximize user engagement, Snapchat’s AI algorithms may follow user activity, assess preferences, and alter content. This focused content modification might result in addictive behaviors or the distribution of biased and inaccurate information. This new use of AI incorporated into so many teenagers’ everyday lives can cause a heavy reliance on AI-based interactions rather than genuine human connection, which could decrease the fulfillment of social experiences for certain individuals. 

The AI can also be misused by individuals, leading to misinformation. Snapchat AI may not accurately capture an individual’s intentions, which may lead to miscommunications. However, if the AI accurately captures an individual’s desires, it may result in excessive screen time and potentially contribute to internet addiction or neglect of other important activities.

Though this AI feature may allow an individual to be able to express their concerns or answer questions during a time when no one else is responding, there are clearly harmful effects of integrating AI into such a commonly used application by teenagers.