TikTok is testing a generative AI chatbot called Tako to suggest videos based on users’ searches. The tool is powered by a third-party chat assistant and has been confirmed by the social media giant as a tool for helping users find content on the platform. Tako is only available to some users in the Philippines in the early stages of testing, and the feature is still in its very early days, with no plans for a wider rollout yet. TikTok recently submitted a trademark application for “Tako”.
TikTok has experimented with generative AI before, with the company testing synthetic image generation for user avatars last month, as well as releasing a text-to-image AI Greenscreen filter for translating text prompts into background images. The generative AI avatar tool produces as many as 30 options every day based on uploaded photos and style choices selected by the user. Snapchat also debuted a generative AI chatbot called My AI that was pitched as an assistant for planning trips, meals, gifts, and other activities.
TikTok is a popular social media platform that allows users to create short-form videos. Tako is hoped to streamline the video discovery process and make it easier for users to find entertaining and inspiring content. TikTok’s chatbot tests follow Snap’s introduction of the My AI chatbot, which uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT model.