Snapchat just made their AI available to everyone—but its flaws are concerning
This week, Snapchat announced it will be rolling out its “My AI” chatbot tech to all users for free, after previously being available to only paid Snapchat+ users. Using ChatGPT tech, the AI “friend” can write poems, recipes, or plan a vacation, but Snapchat intially warned to “not share any secrets with My AI and do not rely on it for advice” because the tech “is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything.” Now, the bot can be customized with a bitmoji and a name, added to group chats by mentioning it with an @ symbol, and it has the ability to “recommend AR filters to use in Snapchat’s camera or places to visit from the app’s map tab.”
Users have been testing out the new capabilities by messaging with My AI and starting conversations, which quickly led to an overwhelming negative response. Gen Z and Millennial users are warning that the chatbot is quite “scary” and are sharing their conversations with the bot on TikTok. The hashtag #SnapchatAI currently has 50.3M views on the platform with the top video under the tag showing a user saying, “Please someone tell me how to get rid of Snapchat AI,” while another user shared how his conversation with the bot went south when it made comments about the city he lives in and claims “AI is terrifying.” And after several examples of minors engaging in inappropriate conversation with the bot were brought to light on Twitter, exposing the dangers of the tech, Snapchat says they’re working to make sure provisions are set in place to protect young users.
Though we know, and even predicted, that AI is the big trend of the year so far, young people are clearly concerned about what it can do as much as they are excited about using it. But while this AI function needs more fine tuning, ChatGPT tech continues to permeate brand strategies for reaching young consumers, so we’re giving all the insight to how young consumers really want to use the tech in our upcoming AI trend report.
Another AI made a viral Drake x The Weeknd collab—and the internet loves it (even if it’s sort of illegal)
“Heart on My Sleeve” by Drake and The Weeknd is not actually a new song they made, but rather one an AI voice generator put together, and it’s quickly become a viral sensation. The AI track is linked to a user referred to as “Ghostwriter” who has been undergoing some shady activities by uploading and deleting copies of the viral song and directing listeners toward new places they can stream the tune after it keeps getting taken down. The song uses the two rap/ R&B singers’ voices—coming out sounding pretty much just like their IRL vocals—and the lyrics name drop Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber amid their celeb dating drama: “I came in with my ex like Selena to flex, ay / Bumpin’ Justin Bieber the fever ain’t left, ay.”
While it’s hard to say just how many streams the song has garnered after being taken down and reuploaded so many times over the past week, the internet can’t stop buzzing about it. One Twitter user said “That AI track that sounds like Drake & The Weeknd is soooo weird. Is it not concerning that you can just casually add that to Apple Music???” and another tweeted, “I’mma say what everyone is thinking….that AI Drake x Weeknd song is a BANGERRRRRR.” Over on TikTok, #AIDrake has 26.4M views and users are dancing along to the song and even making memes about how the jury will dance along to it in a future court hearing.
Because, of course, this viral hit is raising the inevitable question when it comes to AI regarding copyright infringement—and it’s clear the fake song is not entirely legal. While the track has been officially removed from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Amazon, YouTube, and Tidal, it’s still floating around social platforms like TikTok, and Twitter. Neither Drake nor The Weeknd have commented on the song yet, but legal implications are sure to follow, especially now that more AI-generated songs are beginning to go viral.
This week on TikTok: Everything can be a Wes Anderson film
In a new iteration of trends that romanticize, and now cinematize, their lives, Gen Z and Millennials on TikTok are making short films of their day in the style of a Wes Anderson film. The videos are defined by heavy color grading and saturation, making every color pop, and mostly still, symmetrical shots all cut to audios from Anderson’s existing films. The audio for the song “Obituary,” from the French Dispatch soundtrack, currently has 14K videos in it, with many being made just this week. YPulse data has shown before any trend that gives them main character energy is one sure to take off, and this one certainly does.
Users are sharing mini films of everything from a trip to Paris to simply taking the train—showing how this trend will let them beautify any kind of moment into Oscar-nominee quality. And as a trademark of the trend, most begin with captions like “You better not act like you’re in a Wes Anderson film when we go shopping,” which then cut to their title card of their short film. One iconic shot you’ll find in almost all these videos, aside from beautiful land and cityscapes, are clips of the creator standing still and staring at the camera directly, a sort of eerily calm ‘fit check. These scenes give a sense of what a diverse range of creators are tapping into this trend, which one user pointed out is great to see because Anderson is often criticized for not casting enough people of color in his own films.
Links We’re Passing:
TV: Netflix’s failure to get the Love is Blind reunion going live left fans disappointed in what they pay for
TikTok: As the Eras Tour goes on, the outfit checks only get grander
A viral application review shows a highly qualified student being rejected from Ivy League schools
Music: “Peaches,” a song from the new Mario Bros. Movie, is a streaming hit
Frank Ocean’s Coachella set did not go as fans hoped, and now second weekenders won’t see him at all
