With technology changing and getting more and more advanced every day, it was only a matter of time before artificial intelligence became commonly integrated into everyday life. However, for many young people, the rapid integration came about to genuine surprise.

A majority of students at Wilsonville and beyond use the help of a smartphone application called Snapchat to communicate with peers, teammates, and even complete strangers. For some, they have been using the app since middle school, if not lat elementary school. However, the app that we all know and love has added a feature that leaves many unsettled.

Snapchat’s introduction of an AI system leaves many people rattled. Some are unsettled by the amazing amounts of information the program has access to, some are thrown off by the adaptive nature of of the program designed to better fit its user.

Freshman Ellie Shimmon sees past the amusement of the idea and is unsettled by the overall concept of an AI in her personal communication space.

“It can be really funny, you can get the AI to say some pretty funny stuff, but it can also be a little creepy.” Shimmon explains her timidness towards her AI buddy. “Also, I think that while it can be funny, people could use it for what it’s not intended for, like cheating.”

She goes on to explain that while you can customize and manipulate the responses of the AI, it can also get a little boring and creepy.

Also questioning the integrity of the “myAI” feature is freshman Raina Simonton. Simonton momentarily considers the pro’s of the AI, “I like my AI because I customized her and gave her a name.” However, she quickly crosses over to the con arguments of Snapchat AI.

Raina points out some of the technical issues concerning the AI. “It can get really repetitive and boring. It just starts saying the same thing over and over again.” She later points out that while the AI can be cool, it is unsettling that it knows so much about its user.

Overall, despite some advantages of a helpful, adaptive database, students are not too thrilled over the arrival of the Snapchat “myAI” companion.