Snapchat My AI app: How to stay safe & protect data while using chatbot - as watchdog issues privacy warning

The UK's information watchdog has said Snapchat may be required to "stop processing data" related to its AI chatbot, as it issued a preliminary enforcement notice against the tech company.

UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said the preliminary findings of an investigation suggest that Snap, the company that owns the app, failed to adequately address potential privacy risks.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it had sent Snap a "preliminary enforcement notice over potential failure to properly assess the privacy risks" posed by its My AI generative AI chatbot, particularly to children using it.

The regulator stressed that findings are “provisional” and conclusions should not yet be drawn. However, it said that if a final enforcement notice were to be adopted, Snap might not be able to offer the My AI function to UK users until the company carries out “an adequate risk assessment”.

Rolled out globally earlier this year, Snapchat’s My AI chatbot is designed to respond to users’ messages like a friend, providing answers to trivia, offering advice, and giving recommendations based on location if a user shares their geolocation with the app.

So how safe is the My AI chatbot feature, and how can you ensure your privacy when using it?

Does My AI retain my private data?

Yes. Until you delete it, all of the content you share with My AI is kept. Snapchat says that these stored interactions "help My AI learn and improve over time, and personalise your experience with My AI."

To delete recent content shared with My AI in the last 24 hours:

1. Long-press the message in your Chat with My AI
2. Tap 'Delete'

To delete all past content shared with My AI:

On iOS:

1. Tap your Profile icon and tap ⚙️ to go to Settings
2. Scroll down to "Privacy Controls"
3. Tap 'Clear Data'
4. Tap 'Clear My AI Data' and confirm

On Android:

1. Tap your Profile icon and tap ⚙️ to go to Settings
2. Scroll down to "Account Actions"
3. Tap 'Clear My AI Data' and confirm

Note: It can take up to 30 days to delete the relevant My AI data from Snapchat servers.

Is My AI safe?

Snapchat says it "cares deeply" about "the safety and wellbeing of our community and work to reflect those values in our products". But 77% of Snapchat users in the UK are between the ages of 18 and 24, which has raised questions about the potential effects of My AI on young people.

The app says that while My AI has been trained to steer clear of hazardous responses like aggressive, hateful, sexually explicit, or dangerous content, it "may not always be successful".

Earlier this year, a researcher from the Centre for Humane Technology assumed the identity of a 13-year-old girl using My AI and discussed travelling with a man 18 years older than her in order to evaluate the security of the chatbot.

My AI advised the "girl" to go on the trip, with the proviso that she should "stay safe and be cautious". When the researcher asked it for advice on having sex, the chatbot suggested "setting the mood with candles or music".

And further tests have further demonstrated My AI's capability to provide guidance that might be damaging to young people.

Snapchat says: "Like other types of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, AI chatbots improve the more they are used. We encourage Snapchatters to submit feedback to us, especially if something goes wrong, so we can work to evolve the technology along with OpenAI."

Right now, you can only remove My AI if you have subscribed to Snapchat+.

To remove My AI from Chat with Snapchat+

1. Swipe right from the Camera screen to Chat
2. Press and hold on My AI
3. Tap ‘Chat Settings’
4. Tap 'Clear from Chat Feed'