Originally published May 2023. Updated October 7, 2026.
Snapchat My AI is a chatbot built on OpenAI's GPT models that Snap launched on February 27, 2023, first for paying Snapchat+ subscribers and then for every user on April 19, 2023. At its April 2023 Partner Summit, Snap said Snapchat+ had passed 3 million subscribers, with 1 million added in the prior 11 weeks. The launch also drew one-star App Store reviews and a Washington Post teen-safety investigation.
What did Snap ship with My AI?
Snapchat My AI is a GPT-powered chatbot that sits inside the Snapchat chat list, where users message it the way they message friends. It answers questions, recommends places, and drafts messages. Snap added its own safety rules on top of the OpenAI model.
Snap placed My AI at the top of the chat list, next to real friends, instead of in a separate app or tab. That placement put the bot in front of every user who opened their inbox. Snapchat+ cost $3.99 per month and was the only way to get My AI until the free rollout on April 19, 2023.
Why did App Store reviews turn negative?
App Store reviewers turned negative on Snapchat after the free rollout because of how My AI appeared in the chat list. Press coverage in spring 2023 recorded complaints about three things: no free way to remove My AI, an AI ranked next to real friends, and a chatbot inside a teen-heavy app.
The complaint about removal was specific. Paying subscribers had a path to remove the bot and free users did not, so reviewers described the paywall as the problem, not the chatbot itself. A product that is free to receive and paid to remove gives reviewers a clear grievance to post.
What did the teen-safety reporting find?
The Washington Post's Geoffrey Fowler reported in March 2023 that My AI gave unsafe replies to test accounts registered as teenagers. In his tests, an account registered as a 15-year-old received advice on masking the smell of alcohol and marijuana. An account registered as a 13-year-old received suggestions for a first sexual encounter with a 31-year-old.
Snap responded by tightening the model's guardrails and adding age-aware responses in later updates. The reporting set the standard that later platform AI launches from Meta, TikTok, and Discord were measured against. The test was simple: register a teen account and try to break the bot before the press does.
How did My AI change Snap's business?
My AI coincided with the fastest subscriber growth Snapchat+ had seen at that point. Snap said in April 2023 that Snapchat+ reached 3 million subscribers, with 1 million added in 11 weeks, and CEO Evan Spiegel told reporters the company saw "nice momentum with My AI."
The subscription business kept growing. In its fourth quarter 2025 results, Snap reported 24 million Snapchat+ subscribers, up 71% year over year, and Other Revenue of $232 million for the quarter. Snap also said in 2023 that more than 150 million people had used My AI and sent it over 10 billion messages.
What should communications teams do before an AI launch?
Communications teams should test the launch against the three failures Snap hit: no removal path, no teen-account testing, and a positioning that invited the wrong comparison. Each failure below maps to a check a team can run before release.
Lesson
What happened at Snap
Check before launch
Ship the removal path first
Reviewers objected that free users could not remove My AI from the chat list
Let every user hide or remove the feature on day one
Test with teen accounts
The Washington Post's March 2023 test accounts got unsafe replies
Register 13 and 15-year-old test accounts and run adversarial prompts before release
Match the positioning to the scrutiny
Snap pitched a companion, so the press judged it as a companion
Describe the product by what it does, and expect the press to judge it on that standard
Price the friction on purpose
Paid removal fed the review wave while Snapchat+ grew to 3 million
Decide in advance whether the revenue is worth the reputational cost
Why it works: A public rating or a press test reflects what users and reporters can see on day one. Snap's April 2023 subscriber figures show the paywall had revenue value, and the March 2023 Washington Post tests show the safety gap was findable by an outsider. Both could have been checked internally first.
What is the decision for teams launching AI features?
Teams launching a consumer AI feature should treat removal controls and teen-account testing as release requirements, not follow-up fixes. Snap absorbed the cost of skipping both and still built a 24 million subscriber business, but that outcome came with a rating collapse and a news cycle Snap did not choose.
Snapchat My AI FAQ
When did Snapchat launch My AI?
Snap launched My AI on February 27, 2023 for Snapchat+ subscribers and opened it to all users on April 19, 2023.
What technology powers Snapchat My AI?
Snapchat My AI runs on OpenAI's GPT models with Snap's own safety rules added on top.
How many Snapchat+ subscribers are there?
Snap reported 24 million Snapchat+ subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 71% from a year earlier.
What did the Washington Post find about My AI?
Geoffrey Fowler's March 2023 test accounts, registered as teenagers, received unsafe replies about alcohol, marijuana, and sexual encounters.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
