The feature could "fundamentally change search and navigation in apps"
Original link: TikTok tests AI chatbot called Tako – The Verge
TikTok is testing an AI chatbot called Tako that can recommend videos based on people's questions, according to screenshots of the feature shared with The Verge.
If TikTok ends up being widely released, chatbots could "fundamentally change search and navigation in apps," said Daniel Buchuk of Watchful Technologies, which uncovers these upcoming app changes for Fortune 500 companies.
TikTok is testing an AI chatbot that can ask users questions about short videos and help them discover content.
According to Reuters, the chatbot appears on the application interface as an icon in the shape of an elf, and users can click on it while watching a video to have a text conversation and get help related to the video content.
As for Tako, a TikTok spokesperson said the social media platform is always exploring new technologies.
In April, US media reported that TikTok was experimenting with a generative AI tool that would allow users to create avatars. TikTok has applied for a trademark for "Tako," in a category that includes "computer software for artificially generating human speech and text," according to a disclosure filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month.
Daniel Bucock, a researcher at Watchful Technologies, said that unlike ChatGPT, which is positioned as a general-purpose chatbot, Tako is more like a navigation assistant, mainly to encourage users to watch more videos. "So if you ask 'When is King Charles crowned?' Tako will tell you the answer, but you'll also see a TikTok video about it," he said.
Watchful Technologies showed another example. When a user asks Tako a question, such as "how can we teach children to respect others," the chatbot responds, summarizing the advice given by TikTok users and recommending related videos.
TikTok has placed a disclaimer saying Tako is an experimental chatbot and that answers may not be accurate. The company censors conversations with Tako for security purposes and warns users not to share private information with it.
TikTok recently filed a trademark application for "chatbot software" called Tako, as attorney Josh Gerben spotted, suggesting the company is gearing up for a wider release. This won't be the first social media app to jump on the chatbot bandwagon in recent months. In April, Snapchat made the My AI bot free to everyone, and Mark Zuckerberg recently told Meta investors that he hopes to "introduce AI assistants to billions of people."