This popular photo-sharing app has adopted many nonnegotiable artificial intelligence features that users aren't happy with.
A Redditor shared their frustration with Snapchat after being forced to agree to a new feature. "There is no way to opt out of this feature I won't use, much like all of the other unlikeable features Snapchat has added. This and the unblockable AI made me delete the app," they wrote.
The app popup reads: "We believe the Camera should be optimized for every Snapchatter who uses it. To do that, Snap uses info about your face, hands, and voice to make certain features work."
There is no option to decline, and the only button says, "Sounds good!"
Snapchat explains that this data is used for features such as properly fitting lenses onto your face and analyzing audio to provide captions. Its website notes that this biometric data is stored for three years but deleted once you deactivate your account.
Snapchat has incorporated a ton of AI features into the app as of late: Dreams, which uses generative AI to scan selfies and create fantasy images; AI Snaps, which allows users to enter prompts to create snaps; and My AI, Snapchat's unblockable AI chatbot, which locks itself to the top of your screen unless you're a Snapchat+ subscriber.
Snapchat's AI chatbot was not well received. It collects and stores a host of data, including your location, and it can even view your story. Snapchat saw "a rapid rise in negative reviews following the introduction of the My AI feature. … Sensor Tower reported that 67% of Snapchat reviews in the past week had a one-star rating," according to Artisana.
Generative AI — such as Snapchat's Dreams or AI Snaps — uses a significant amount of energy. Generating just one high-quality photo uses as much energy as fully charging your phone, per a recent study.
Generative AI also creates millions of tons of electronic waste, requires massive amounts of water, and expels a ton of emissions.
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Many commenters described feeling the same way about Snapchat's AI usage
"I wish I could delete this parasite off my phone," one user wrote.
"I don't hate Snapchat," another Redditor said. "I just hated the AI thing it forced upon me."
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