Snapchat’s ‘My AI’ starts testing sponsored links in chatbot responses
Following a new partnership with Microsoft, Snapchat is planning to monetise ‘My AI’ chatbot by providing relevant sponsored links in the chat. Snapchat previewed this at the 2023 Beauty Summit, demonstrating that the large language model will match keywords in messages from users to relevant promotions.
Snapchat has suggested that this new feature will ‘seamlessly deliver links that are relevant to the conversation’. Whilst some may consider it an intrusive addition to the app, it also has the potential to be extremely valuable for brands wanting to advertise.
Snapchat has released data claiming that more than 150 million people have submitted more than 10 billion messages to ‘My AI’. The large reach of the chatbot will allow for personalised ads that can aid both users and brands. The project is still in early development, as Snapchat is working on new elements to improve the experience.
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Expansions to Meta’s Verified programme to include business accounts
Meta is expanding the Meta Verified program to include a new Meta Verified for Business package. Meta claims that this will allow brands to give more confidence to their customers, despite the process of purchasing a checkmark lessening its value.
Whilst both X and Meta have received the same criticism of paid verification packages, they are generating sufficient interest to keep expanding them. The combination package for businesses across Instagram and Facebook is more expensive than the same package for creators.
When the Meta Verified program was released in February, Meta offered ‘increased reach’ for verified accounts, before quickly removing it. A similar feature appears to be offered to new Meta Verified businesses, as ‘improved discovery’ is included in the price. However, there are no further details about how this will work.
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Improved content reporting flow makes it easier to flag rule-breaking content on X
X’s improved reporting flow allows users to highlight concerns in a quick and simple manner. There are more specific violations to select when reporting content, allowing reports to be streamlined into categories. X also suggests possible actions to be taken that could limit further harm.
This improved process will also provide the user with an overview of the next steps, improving transparency and keeping the user involved in their report. The new process should help X address concerning content faster and more efficiently.
Owner Elon Musk has stated that X is also improving internal workflow for content reports. He has vowed to provide more transparency in the platform’s decisions when addressing violative material, to avoid X management from making unpopular calls on reported content.
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Meta has launched a new multi-profile option on Facebook
Users can now create multiple profiles to explore different interests and share different content within a range of communities. There is the option to create up to four additional profiles, in which separate friends lists and feeds can be created.
Meta has explained that ‘multiple personal profiles lets you easily organise who you share with and what content you see for the various parts of your life’. The separation helps to maintain a level of privacy in which users may feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and interests.
The number of people who post on Facebook has fallen, as watching short-form video clips has become more popular than sharing personal updates. Perhaps the multi-profile feature will encourage more users to share posts in the communities that they will carefully select.
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