--- title: "Furious Users Demand Removal of AI From Snapchat" description: "Snapchat users seem to really, really hate the app's new AI feature, \"My AI\" — and they're taking to the app star to let the company know." date: "2023-04-26" modified: "2023-04-26" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/users-ai-snapchat" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai chatbot" - "snapchat" - "the digest" --- # Furious Users Demand Removal of AI From Snapchat ![Snapchat users seem to really, really hate the app's new AI feature, "My AI" — and they're taking to the app star to let the company know.]() *Evan Spiegel, founder and CEO of Snapchat, speaks at the 2023 Snap Partner Summit at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on April 19, 2023 where the focus was on immersive augmented reality experiences and tech for people attending music concerts. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images/FREDERIC J. BROWN \* ## Hates It Snapchat users are making it very, very clear that they can't stand the feature's new AI chatbot companion. The AI feature — dubbed "My AI" — had been available to paying Snapchat subscribers (yes, some people apparently pay for Snapchat) for several weeks, but was finally deployed to the app's general user base last week. And [according to *TechCrunch*](), data from Sensor Tower shows that over that last week, Snapchat's average US app store review was a measly 1.67 stars. To add insult to injury, an overwhelming 75 percent of all reviews were just one star — a sharp turn from Snapchat's Q1 2023, which saw an average star rating of 3.05 stars. In a word: ouch. ## Snap Crap Snap has marketed the new bot as a harmless, helpful companion; [per a tweet from last week](), My AI is simply a friend designed to do things like "write a song for your bestie who loves cheese, find the best IYKYK restaurant," or help you "find the perfect recipe." "The big idea is that in addition to talking to our friends and family every day, we're going to talk to AI every day," Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel [told *The Verge*]() back in February. "And this is something we're well positioned to do as a messaging service." All fine and good. But while writing songs for besties who love cheese can certainly be counted as benign chatbot behavior, the AI has also sparked concerns regarding both user safety and user privacy. As one [*Washington Post* writer]() discovered last month, the bot will talk to users about drugs, sex, and alcohol — even if and when a user overtly states that they're underage, as many Snapchat users are — and has stoked additional alarm over app users' [location data](). "The AI from the new update is really scary. It knows my location and I have my snap map and location off!!" reads one of Snap's recent app store reviews (which, interestingly, actually awarded five stars), per *TechCrunch*. "THESE NEED TO BE GONE IMMEDIATELY PLEASE. They are dangerous!!" If there's any moral here? Maybe, just maybe, not every app on this green Earth needs an unnecessary AI integration. Your investors might love it, but your users might absolutely hate it, and try to burn the whole company to the ground via one-star reviews in the process. **More on AI:** [*Tabloid Fires Editor for AI-generated “interview” with Injured Celebrity*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()