Snapchat recently announced it will be launching an AI-powered chatbot for its paid subscribers. The chatbot reportedly uses language AI similar to ChatGPT to have natural conversations and help Snapchatters get more value out of the app.
As a frequent Snapchat user myself, I was definitely intrigued when I heard about this new chatbot feature. AI is advancing so rapidly and being integrated into all kinds of apps and services lately.
So in this post, I wanted to share the key details on Snapchat’s new chatbot based on what they’ve announced so far:
The Chatbot Is Only for Snapchat+ Subscribers (For Now)
Snapchat emphasized that the new chatbot will only be available to paid Snapchat+ subscribers initially.
Snapchat+ is their $3.99 per month subscription that unlocked some exclusive features when it launched in June 2022.
So if you already pay for Snapchat+ or have been considering it, the chatbot will be a nice additional perk.
If you use Snapchat for free, no worries — Snapchat hinted the chatbot could expand to more users in the future.
It Uses AI to Have Conversations and Get Things Done
According to Snapchat, the chatbot leverages “the latest artificial intelligence” to have conversations.
It sounds very similar to ChatGPT in that way — you’ll be able to interact with it conversationally as you would with a human.
Some examples Snapchat gave of how you can engage with it:
- Get recommendations for lenses, games, or stories based on your interests
- Get help perfecting your Snapchat presence or tips on how to use different Snapchat features
- Plan a baby shower or vacation by telling it your budget, number of people, location, etc. and it will provide ideas
So the chatbot acts like your own personal assistant on Snapchat to help you discover and organize things.
It Can Recommend Friends and Troubleshoot Issues
In addition to the conversational abilities mentioned above, Snapchat highlighted two other key things the AI chatbot can help Snapchat+ subscribers with:
1. Recommending Friends
If you enable access to your Snapchat connections, the chatbot can recommend people you may want to be friends with on Snapchat based on your interests and mutual connections.
Could be helpful for expanding your Snapchat network!
2. Resolving Issues
If you ever run into problems using Snapchat, the AI assistant can help troubleshoot things like login troubles, notification issues, fixing bugs, and more.
So it acts as customer support to some extent, saving you the headache of contacting Snapchat or scouring help docs to fix problems.
When Will Snapchat’s Chatbot Launch?
Snapchat stated that Snapchat+ subscribers will start gaining access to the AI chatbot “over the coming weeks”.
So if you’re already subscribed, be on the lookout for its rollout soon! My guess based on “weeks” would be sometime in March 2023 or earlier.
Once available, you should find the chatbot under the Snapchat+ hub in your Snapchat profile.
Early Signs Point to a Promising Chatbot
While first-party details are still limited until Snapchat launches the assistant, early third-party testing seems promising:
- The Verge was able to demo an early version and said responses were “detailed and helpful overall”.
- Mashable‘s reporter found it was “capable of holding a conversation and answering questions.”
Hopefully, those are good signs that Snapchat has developed an AI assistant that actually provides value!
I know some chatbots and virtual assistants out there today have their flaws, so raising user expectations too high out of the gates wouldn’t be wise.
But Snapchat has always been fairly innovative, so I’m optimistic their chatbot will start out strong enough to delight subscribers.
Bottom Line
Snapchat bringing AI into the fold with a chatbot assistant makes perfect sense.
They need to keep enticing users to pay for Snapchat+ while also making the app more fun and engaging overall.
An AI chatbot that helps you discover content and people while acting as your personal concierge aligns nicely with those goals.
And while they aren’t making it freely available to all users yet, the option is still there to unlock it by subscribing to Snapchat+ if you find the chatbot compelling.
I know I’ll definitely be signing up to give it a try once it drops. An AI assistant to enhance my Snapchat experience sounds great.
But I’m even more excited by the long-term possibilities here. This is Snapchat’s first big step into AI, but I doubt it will be their last.
The way they described the assistant as the “latest artificial intelligence technology” hints they plan to iterate on it over time too.
And if they do decide to eventually expand chatbot access beyond paying subscribers, that opens up some very interesting opportunities for monetization and ads.
But for now, the focus looks to be providing Snapchat+ subscribers with an awesome AI chatbot perk.
I’ll be keeping close tabs on this one and will share an update here after I get to test it out myself!