It Feels Like a Friend, But It's Not
If you use Snapchat, you've probably noticed My AI -- the chatbot pinned near the top of your chat feed. It can answer questions, recommend restaurants, help with homework, or just have a casual conversation. It feels personal, almost like texting a friend.
But My AI is not your friend. It's a product built by Snap Inc., powered by artificial intelligence, and designed to keep you engaged on the platform. And while it might seem harmless, there are real privacy and safety concerns you should understand before you treat it like a confidant.
What Is My AI, Exactly?
My AI is Snapchat's built-in AI chatbot, based on large language model technology similar to what powers other AI tools. It was introduced in 2023 and is available to all Snapchat users.
You can ask it questions, get recommendations, brainstorm ideas, or just chat. It responds in a conversational, friendly tone that's designed to feel natural. You can even give it a custom name and Bitmoji.
That friendly design is intentional. The easier it is to talk to, the more you'll share with it. And the more you share, the more data Snapchat collects.
What Data Does My AI Collect?
This is where things get important. When you interact with My AI, Snapchat collects:
- The content of your conversations. Everything you type to My AI is stored and can be reviewed by Snap Inc. This isn't a private journal -- it's a conversation with a company's server.
- Your location data. If you've granted Snapchat location permissions, My AI can access your location to give you "relevant" suggestions. That means the chatbot -- and by extension, Snapchat -- knows where you are.
- Usage patterns. How often you chat, what topics you bring up, what recommendations you click on -- all of this feeds into Snapchat's data profile on you.
- Interactions with content. If My AI suggests a place or a product and you engage with it, that behavior is tracked.
Snapchat's privacy policy states that your My AI conversations may be used to improve products, train AI models, and serve personalized ads. In other words, what you tell My AI doesn't just stay between you and the chatbot.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
You might be thinking, "I don't care if Snapchat knows I asked about pizza places." Fair enough. But the risk isn't just about individual messages -- it's about the full picture that builds up over time.
The Oversharing Trap
Because My AI is designed to feel like a conversation with a person, it's easy to slip into sharing things you wouldn't normally type into a search engine. Your mood, your relationship problems, your school stress, your insecurities -- these are deeply personal, and they're being stored on a corporate server.
Ask yourself: would you walk into Snapchat's headquarters and tell a room full of employees about your crush, your fight with your best friend, or your anxiety? Probably not. But that's essentially what you're doing when you confide in My AI.
Location Tracking Concerns
In 2023, Snapchat faced scrutiny after regulators found that My AI was collecting location data from minors. The chatbot could determine a user's approximate location even without them explicitly sharing it, simply through context clues in the conversation and background permissions.
If you tell My AI "What's good to eat around here?" and you have location services enabled, it now knows where "here" is. Over time, it can build a detailed picture of where you go, when, and how often.
Data Breaches Are Always a Possibility
No company is immune to data breaches. If Snapchat's servers are ever compromised, every conversation you've had with My AI could potentially be exposed. The less sensitive information stored there, the lower your risk.
How Teens Have Been Affected
Since My AI launched, there have been documented cases that highlight why caution is warranted:
- Teens have reported My AI giving inappropriate or misleading advice on sensitive topics like mental health, relationships, and personal safety
- Some users found that My AI continued to appear in their chat feed even after they tried to remove it, creating frustration around consent and control
- Privacy advocates have raised concerns about young users not fully understanding that their conversations are being collected and potentially used for advertising
Regulatory bodies in multiple countries have investigated Snapchat over My AI's data practices, particularly regarding how data from minors is handled.
How to Protect Yourself
You don't have to delete Snapchat to protect yourself from My AI. But you should take some steps to limit your exposure.
Limit What You Share
Treat My AI the way you'd treat any stranger online. It's fine for surface-level questions, but don't share:
- Personal problems or emotional struggles
- Information about where you live, go to school, or hang out
- Details about your relationships, family, or friends
- Anything you wouldn't want a stranger to know
Adjust Your Privacy Settings
- Turn off location services for Snapchat in your phone's settings, or at least set it to "While Using the App" rather than "Always"
- Clear your My AI conversations regularly (press and hold the chat, then select "Clear from Chat Feed")
- Review your Snapchat privacy settings under Settings > Privacy Controls and limit data sharing where possible
Unpin or Limit My AI
Snapchat+ subscribers can unpin My AI from the chat feed. If you don't have a paid subscription, you can still minimize your interactions by simply not engaging with it. The less you use it, the less data it collects.
Use Other Tools for Sensitive Questions
If you need help with something personal -- mental health, relationships, safety concerns -- reach out to a real person instead. Talk to a trusted adult, a school counselor, or contact a helpline like the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741). An AI chatbot is not a substitute for real human support.
The Bigger Picture: AI and Your Data
My AI isn't the only AI tool collecting your data. ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and others all store and analyze your interactions to varying degrees. The difference with My AI is that it lives inside an app you probably use every day, surrounded by your friends, your photos, and your location -- which gives it access to a richer context than a standalone AI tool.
As AI becomes more embedded in the apps you use, developing the habit of asking "What data is this collecting, and what is it being used for?" will serve you well. You don't need to avoid AI entirely. You just need to use it with your eyes open.
The Bottom Line
Snapchat's My AI is a polished, well-designed tool that's easy to talk to and genuinely useful for quick questions. But beneath that friendly interface is a data collection system that stores your conversations, tracks your location, and feeds information into Snapchat's advertising machine.
The most important thing you can do is treat My AI like what it is -- a corporate product, not a personal confidant. Keep your conversations light, protect your location data, and save the real talk for real people. Your privacy is worth more than a chatbot's convenience.