HONG KONG (Reuters) – Social media platform TikTok is testing an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can converse with users about short videos and help them discover content, the app intelligence company said.
Israel-based Watchful Technologies has announced that it has discovered an AI chatbot called “Tako” in some versions of the TikTok app on Apple’s mobile devices.
In screenshots and video Watchful shared with Reuters, the chatbot is prominently displayed on the app’s interface as a ghost-shaped icon that users can tap while watching a video to receive text-based messages. conversations and help you find content.
Asked about Tako, a TikTok spokesperson said the social media platform is always exploring new technologies.
“We are testing new ways to power search and discovery on TikTok in select markets. We are,” the spokesperson said. .
The effort comes after Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI announced late last year its next-generation chatbot ChatGPT, which offers perhaps the most natural interaction ever. This has kicked off a race to develop innovative generative AI-based features in the industry, such as TikTok rival Snap Inc with its ChatGPT technology-powered “My AI”.
In April, US media reported that TikTok was experimenting with a generative AI tool that would allow users to create avatars. China-based parent company ByteDance is working on a large-scale AI model, Chinese media reported, but the company currently does not offer AI chatbot functionality in its Chinese equivalent of TikTok, Douyin.
A disclosure filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month showed that TikTok had filed a trademark application for “TikTok Tako” in categories such as “computer software for artificially generating human speech and text.” It was revealed.
Observant researcher Daniel Buchuk said his team began finding references to Tako in some versions of the TikTok app earlier this month, including a test version on US iOS devices.
Watchful uses computer vision and data analytics to identify and emulate app changes. It monitors devices in various countries, but was unable to identify which markets TikTok is testing in.
Unlike ChatGPT, which is positioned as a multi-purpose chatbot, Tako is more of a navigational assistant focused on encouraging users to watch more videos, Bucuk said.
“So if you ask, ‘When was King Charles’ coronation?’
In another demonstration by Watchful, users ask Tako questions like “How do I teach my kids respect?” and the chatbot summarizes tips from TikTok users and recommends related videos. It was shown to respond in the form
TikTok has a disclaimer stating that Tako is an experimental chatbot and responses may be inaccurate. It said it was reviewing conversations with Octopus for safety reasons and warned users not to share personal information with Octopus.
(Reporting by Josh Ye, Editing by Brenda Goh and Christopher Cushing)
Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.
