TikTok is testing its own AI chatbot

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by Jacob Solomon May 26, 2023 News
TikTok is testing its own AI chatbot

TikTok is testing an artificial intelligence bot that will help users discover and search for content. The experiment is similar to the one launched bySnap, which is powered by the same company.

TikTok is testing its tool in the Philippines. Tako can be found on the right side of the video, above other icons such as the "like" and "comment" buttons. It works the same way as any other text-to-text artificial intelligence, asking a user a question or starting a conversation. The bot will try to respond in a way that is similar to a human.

TikTok is testing an artificial intelligence bot in its app.

Credit: Watchful; TikTok

Tako is intended to facilitate content to the viewer. It can give recommendations based on a user's viewing history and specific requests. Having access to the user's history could give Tako a leg up over other artificial intelligence.

Tako is built on an undisclosed third-party provider. TikTok doesn't own the underlying model like Openai does. It is not clear how this will affect TikTok's ability to improve Tako.

All conversations between Tako and a user will be reviewed by TikTok to make sure they are safe. This method poses privacy concerns, potentially adding fuel to the fire by which TikTok is already being consumed, but is currently one of the only ways that artificial intelligence platforms are able to watch for abuse. Users can turn off their chat history by using some tools, such as the association My Artificial Intelligence. They are still recorded for monitoring.

Users will be able to manually remove their chat history.

A user is shown asking Tako, "What is the significance of King Charles III's coronation?" while viewing a video of the event. The way in which users engage with TikTok content could be affected by this ability to provide further context on videos.

Further context can be provided by using Tako.

Credit: Watchful; TikTok

TikTok is testing a new feature that will allow users to create in-appavatars.

A TikTok spokesman told Ad Age in an email that they are always looking at new technologies. We are testing new ways to power search and discovery on TikTok, and we look forward to learning from our community as we continue to create a safe place that entertains, inspire creativity, and drives culture.

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