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# TIKTOK TESTS AI CHATBOT THAT RECOMMENDS VIDEOS
TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, is testing a new AI chatbot named Tako that can suggest videos based on users’ queries. The chatbot appears capable of answering a wide range of questions, from food recipes to art exhibitions, and could “radically change search and navigation” within the app if it’s released widely, according to Daniel Buchuk, an app analyst at Watchful Technologies. Currently, Tako is only available to users in the Philippines, and a TikTok spokesperson described the chatbot as a “limited experiment.”
# HOW TAKO WORKS
Tako appears as an icon above the TikTok profile on the right side of a video. Tapping on the icon opens up a chat screen, where users can ask Tako’s AI model for recommendations. Tako will suggest a prompt to help initiate the conversation, and it can recommend videos based on what users ask. For example, if a user asks for a recipe, Tako will show related videos on the subject alongside a list of suggestions.
# TIKTOK’S STATEMENT ON THE AI CHATBOT
In an email statement to The Verge, a TikTok spokesperson called Tako a “new way to power search and discovery on TikTok” and emphasized the platform’s commitment to a safe and creative community. The company is still testing Tako and is looking forward to learning from user feedback.
# THE CHATBOT TREND ON SOCIAL MEDIA APPS
TikTok’s chatbot experiment is not unique in the social media world. Snapchat recently made its “My AI” bot available for free, and Mark Zuckerberg has expressed his desire to introduce AI agents to billions of people across Facebook-owned platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.
Sources:
– https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/26/23322126/tiktok-ai-chatbot-tako-video-recommendations-testing
– https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/26/tiktok-tests-ai-chatbot-tako-to-recommend-videos-to-people.html
– https://www.techradar.com/news/tiktok-is-testing-an-ai-chatbot-that-can-recommend-videos-based-on-what-users-ask-for
