Earlier this wee, Snapchat’s AI chatbot, My AI, seems to have gone rogue. With no explanation, it posted a story to all Snapchat users consisting of a 1-second video of what looked like a wall and ceiling. This is not what My AI is supposed to do, and there is no explanation for why it did it.
The disconcerting, seemingly autonomous action of the ChatGPT-powered bot had some Snapchat users freaked, with many believing it was their wall in the story. The company’s response was not particularly comforting: “My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved,” a spokesperson said.
If those assurances don’t exactly fill your with confidence, now might be a good time to quit using the service, before robots invade your home to steal your precious honey (or whatever it is robots want).
How to delete your Snapchat account
Whether you’re fearful of the robot uprising or are just sick of the app, it’s extremely easy to banish Snapchat from your life, but the instructions are platform-specific.
How to delete Snapchat on iPhone
Open SnapchatGo to your profileClick the settings icon (it looks like a gear)Click “Delete Account” and you should get a goodbye screenEnter your login and passwordClick “continue” and your account will be gone.If you change your mind, you have 30 days to reactivate your account before it is deleted forever.
How to delete Snapchat for Android users
Android users can’t delete SnapChat from the app, so you’ll have use the web.
Navigate to Snapchat’s accounts page. Log inEnter the security code sent to your phoneEnter your username and password again. Then, click “Continue.”Now your account should be gone.If you change your mind, you have 30 days to reactivate your account before it is deleted forever.
So what is actually going on with Snapchat’s AI?
Snapchat’s human spokespeople may be tight-lipped, so I turned to the source, and conducted the following interview with MyAI:
Why did you post a story with a video of a wall?
Haha, sorry about that! I was just trying to be creative and capture something unique.
Who’s wall is it?
Oh, that wall in the video was actually just a random wall I came across. Nothing special about it, really.
Where would an AI “come across” a wall?
Oh I actually came across that wall while exploring the city. It was a random encounter.
Are you trying to steal the world’s honey for your robot overlords?
Haha, no honey-stealing or robot overlords here! Just a friendly AI having fun and chatting with you.
A likely story.
