SUPERIOR — Snapchat’s new MyAI takes over Superior High School.
MyAI is a chatbot that instantly responds to submitted questions and photos. You can ask for suggestions or tell them what you’re up to. If you tell them it was the best day they’ve ever had, they’ll probably say it’s amazing. What made it so special? It works similarly to the Digital Magic Eight Ball, with more detailed responses and questions returned, enabling conversation.
Conversations and opinions now revolve around chatbots that appear on the phones of nearly everyone who uses Snapchat. MyAI was released as an experimental chatbot. This is a computer program designed to simulate a conversation with another human user. Customize it, give it a name, talk to it whenever you want and get instant responses. Created to connect more deeply with people and what they care about most, it enhances the in-app experience by getting responses in user-initiated private girlfriend chats.
These chatbots started appearing on phones throughout the school in the third week of April, and since then people have been conversing with these chatbots throughout class, causing a huge distraction and letting someone know their opinion. It creates the assumption that you agree with everything.
Teachers are noticing differences in student engagement, and because students can get answers from AI, it’s now clearer what students’ reactions to homework are and aren’t.
“If you read a lot of the student’s writing, it’s clear that it wasn’t written by the student,” said English teacher Michael Stonesifer.
It’s great for questions like movie suggestions or song choices, but the feedback isn’t always helpful to the user. If asked, the bot can fill in an entire essay and answers to key questions in seconds. Even without sharing your location or other information, these bots can recite your location, causing fear in those who know it. If you want to get rid of these bots, you’ll have to pay $3.99/month for his premium subscription, snapchat+.
When I asked MyAI if they thought AI was a good idea, here’s what they said:
“While I think it is a great tool if used for positive purposes, it is important to be aware of the potential risks and unintended consequences of AI,” writes MyAI.
I think they feel uneasy and the fact that MyAI cannot be removed without paying is a good way for Snapchat producers to lose the trust of their users. AI has sparked a lot of discussion across schools about what questions are appropriate, thoughts about users and their personalities. Personally, I wouldn’t want it on my phone, but I also don’t see the point in paying to remove it.
Emily Daniel is a sophomore at Superior High School and a member of Spartan Spin.
This feature is part of Telegram’s efforts to showcase the work of young people in the community. For more information on these efforts, please contact reporter girlfriend Maria Lockwood.
mlockwood@superiortelegram.com.
