Ever scrolled through TikTok for hours and wished there was someone to chat with about the hilarious cat videos or the mind-blowing makeup tutorials? Well, TikTok heard your unspoken desires (or maybe they saw your watch history), because they just launched an AI chatbot to be your virtual BFF! But before you get too excited about having a digital bestie to discuss the latest dance trends, let’s break down what this all means.

From Silly Skits to Smart Support?

So what can you get from this new artificial intelligence feature of the application? First of all, TikTok stated that the chatbot, which appeared in the application, is intended to assist you in different operations carried out in the application. Sensing that you are drowning in a sea of content that seems too deep and vast? You can specify that the chatbot can recommend videos based on the watch history as well as interests. A user wishes to delve deeper into the information regarding a particular creator or a particular trend. The special capability of the chatbot is the ability to answer questions and lead to the right information. In other words, it is like having a little search engine and personal advisors recommending the perfect book within it at your disposal.

But that’s not all! TikTok also leave a suggestion that chatbots might be able to complete more complicated work in the future. Think of how you could say to your AI friend ‘Hey friend, can you show me some humorous dog videos to lighten my spirit,’ or ‘can you direct me to people who post about my recreational interests?’ It has many potentials and I must say it does engage the users in a different way than TikTok does.

Friend or Enemy? AI Assistance on Social Media

You may be asking yourself, is this a new or improved feature as in cool AI or is this soon to be the new norm where AI is the only thing managing social media accounts? It’s a valid concern. Surely, AI chatbots can actually make our social media experience much better by providing tailored help and filtering the informational content we need, but we have to recall that those helpful creatures are not real people. They seem not to grasp the subtleties of people’s discourse and cannot become an actual social network and a link between the users.

Therefore, it is essential to think of a chatbot as a creative assistant that does not eliminate all human communication. It can be an efficient way to explore new content and get the maximum out of TikTok but do not neglect the real people behind videos and the other viewers who make this application so enjoyable. And, after all, social networks are primarily social platforms, and even the best Al can not compensate for the fun of laughing ears with friends.