Hong Kong. Social media platform TikTok is testing an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can chat with users over short videos and help them discover content, according to a technology firm.
Israel-based Watchful Technologies said it found the AI chatbot nicknamed “Tako” in some versions of the TikTok app on Apple Inc AAPL.O’s mobile devices.
Screenshots and video Watchful shared with Reuters show the chatbot prominently on the app’s interface as a ghost-shaped icon, which users can tap while watching recordings to have text-based conversations and get help. to find content.
Asked about “Tako,” a TikTok spokesperson said that the social media platform is always exploring new technology.
“In select markets, we are testing new ways to power search and discovery on TikTok and look forward to learning from our community as we continue to create a safe place that entertains, inspires creativity and drives culture,” the spokesperson said.
The move comes after OpenAI, backed by Microsoft Corp MSFT.O, late last year launched the next-generation chatbot ChatGPT, which offers arguably the most natural interaction to date. This sparked an industry rush to develop features based on generative AI, such as TikTok rival Snap Inc SNAP.N, whose My AI is based on ChatGPT technology.
US media reported in April that TikTok was experimenting with a generative AI tool to allow users to create avatars. China-based parent company ByteDance is working on a big AI model, Chinese media reported, but does not currently offer AI chatbot features on its Chinese TikTok equivalent, Douyin.
Last month, the US Patent and Trademark Office received a trademark application for “TikTok Tako” in the category of “computer software for the artificial production of human speech and text.”
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