Snapchat's My AI chatbot faces backlash over privacy concerns

Snapchat My AI chatbot feature has recently received multiple 1-star reviews due to concerns about the information it knows and its placement within the app. Snapchat clarified in a blog post that the chatbot will have access to information that users share with the app, such as location and age, but it does not collect any new location data.

The chatbot uses location data to provide personalized recommendations about nearby places, but it only shares "city-level location and very generalized distances between you and places" for suggestions. The Snap Map feature enables location sharing by default, but users can turn it off from Settings on iOS and Android devices. However, if a user turns off location sharing, it may take some time for My AI to notice and stop using the user's location data for recommendations, which could create confusion.

Another complaint about the My AI feature was that it couldn't be blocked or removed by users, except for Snapchat+ subscribers who have that ability. Snapchat noted that messages with My AI are retained in the app, but users can delete them. The company has implemented increased protections for younger users, which is why My AI has knowledge of users' age. My AI only has access to information that users have already granted permissions to Snapchat, including location data. The blog post explained that My AI does not collect any new location information from Snapchatters, and the chatbot only uses existing location data for recommendations