Snap unveils new features as subscription service expands

Snapchat will soon roll out a feature which allows its internal AI chatbot to send users images, a feature it says will complement the service which receives nearly 2 million messages a day.

Snap's My AI chatbot is now customisable.

Snapchat will soon roll out a feature which allows its internal AI chatbot to send users images, a feature it says will complement the service which receives nearly 2 million messages a day.

The feature was announced at Snap’s Part Summit delivered overnight in the US where the social media giant revealed its AI developments, how popular its paid subscription service had become and how it had developed a number of partnerships with its augmented reality business.

My AI, an experimental Snap chatbot based on OpenAI’s GPT technology, had received nearly 2 million messages per day, ­according to a spokeswoman. The tool can recommend birthday gifts for friends, plan weekend trips, suggest recipes and write poems, Snap says.

When the product was released, Snap warned that “My AI is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything. Please do not share any secrets with My AI and do not rely on it for advice.”

The product is now to be expanded with the ability to join group chats, give recommendations based on Snap’s in-app 3D map and to send images which would “keep the conversation going visually”.

The ability to send images would be reserved for paid subscribers, which Snap said had grown to more than 3 million.

It launched the paid service last June, charging users $5.99 per month or $33.99 for six months and $61.99 for 12 months for access to experimental features as well as early release tools.

An AR mirror in US retail store Men's Wearhouse.

Snap says the number of local users has grown to 7.5 million, a jump of about 500,000 over the past 12 months. Globally it says it has 750 million monthly users.

The company also announced an expansion of its augmented reality business, AR Enterprise ­Services, which had landed a number of deals with businesses including Princess Polly, Coca- Cola, sunglasses brand Goodr and Gobi Cashmere.

The Coca-Cola collaboration saw the development of a vending machine that plays music, has visual displays, and can play games with customers.

“Basically, Coca-Cola wants to have consumers engage with the brand in new and creative ways,” said Jill Popelka, Snap’s head of AR Enterprise Services.

Ms Popelka said the next phase of the company’s AR business was moving the technology off the platform and getting it into businesses.

“Now we want to take that augmented reality technology off the Snapchat app and take it into other retailers,” she said.

According to Snap research, about 75 per cent of Australian consumers are interested in using AR to experiment with products they wish to purchase. About 65 per cent of the population who use social media would become frequent AR users by 2025.

“In Australia, 88 per cent of Gen Zs are interested in using AR for shopping,” Ms Popelka said.

When AR technology first came about, most businesses did not understand how to use the technology, Ms Popelka said. “In the early days it was some heavy technology, and no one knew exactly how to use it,” she said.

But now the technology had evolved and Snap believed AR would play a major role in advertising and social media. The company was introducing an AR Mirror that would allow shoppers to try on clothing at speed.

Snap's My AI chatbot is now customisable.

Snap and Coca Cola's AR vending machine.

An AR mirror in US retail store Men's Wearhouse.