TikTok, like every other company in the world, is testing an AI-powered chatbot to help provide more content to users.
The company revealed it is testing the chatbot — called Tako — with a select group of users in the Philippines.
TikTok said that Tako would help users with search and discovery on the app, making it “easier to discover entertaining and inspiring content.”
However, it cautioned that it had no solid plans for the chatbot beyond these “early tests” in the Philippines.
TechCrunch has reported that the chatbot will appear on the right-hand side of the TikTok interface, above the user’s profile and other buttons for likes, comments and bookmarks. Once surfaced, the user can ask the chatbot questions about the video they are watching using natural language queries or discover new content by asking for recommendations. The bot will not appear on TikTok apps used by children.
Presently, it is unclear which language model the chatbot uses. It may even be an effort developed in-house by TikTok.
Snapchat hit the headlines earlier this year as it revealed its own AI-powered chatbot. This chatbot was able to recommend birthday gift ideas, plan a hiking trip, suggest a recipe for dinner, or even write a haiku. Initially available to Snapchat+ subscribers, the tool later rolled out to the entire user base.
