TikTok tests AI chatbot “Tako” in the Philippines

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TikTok in early stages of exploring chatbot “Tako”Tako designed to help find “fun and inspiring content” “We’re testing new ways to power search and discovery on TikTok”

HONG KONG, May 25 (Reuters) – Social media platform TikTok said Thursday it was in the early stages of exploring a chatbot called “Tako” that can converse with users over short videos and help them discover content, and was conducting test with selected users in the Philippines.

OpenAI, powered by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), launched the ChatGPT chatbot last year, offering arguably the most natural interaction to date. This has sparked a rush to develop features based on groundbreaking generative artificial intelligence (AI), including TikTok rival Snap Inc (SNAP.N) whose “My AI” is powered by ChatGPT technology.

TikTok said Tako is designed to help users discover “fun and inspiring content” on the app.

On Thursday, Watchful Technologies, an Israel-based app intelligence company, said it had found Tako on some versions of the TikTok app on Apple Inc (AAPL.O) mobile devices.

Watchful screenshots and videos shared with Reuters showed the chatbot prominently featured on TikTok’s interface as a ghost icon, which users can tap while watching videos to have text conversations and get help finding content.

In April, US media reported that TikTok was piloting a generative AI tool to let users create avatars. Chinese parent ByteDance is working on a large AI model, Chinese media have reported, but it does not currently offer AI chatbot capabilities on its Chinese equivalent of TikTok, Douyin.

The disclosure filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office last month showed that TikTok had filed a trademark application for “TikTok Tako” in categories that included “software for artificially producing human speech and text.”

When asked about Tako, a TikTok spokesperson said the social media platform is always exploring new technologies.

A smartphone with a TikTok logo displayed is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

“In select markets, we’re testing new ways to power search and discovery on TikTok and look forward to learning from our community as we continue to create a safe place that entertains, inspires creativity, and fosters culture,” he said. the spokesman. .

The company did not explain why the Philippines was selected.

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Observant researcher Daniel Buchuk said his team began finding references to Tako on some versions of the TikTok app earlier this month, including a trial version on an iOS device in the US.

Watchful uses computer vision and data analytics to identify and emulate app changes. It monitors devices in several countries but was unable to determine which markets TikTok was conducting its tests in.

Unlike ChatGPT, which is positioned as an all-purpose chatbot, Tako feels more like a browsing assistant with the goal of encouraging users to watch more videos, Buchuk said.

“So if you’re asking ‘When was King Charles’s coronation?’ Tako will tell you the answer, but then you’ll also see relevant TikTok videos,” he said.

Another demonstration from Watchful showed that when a user asks Tako a question, such as “How can we teach children respect,” the chatbot responds by summarizing TikTok users’ suggestions and also recommending related videos.

TikTok has issued a disclaimer saying that Tako is an experimental chatbot and the replies may be inaccurate. It said it will review conversations with Tako for security reasons and warned users not to share private information with it.

Reporting by Josh Ye in Hong Kong and Yana Gaur in Bangalore; Edited by Brenda Goh, Christopher Cushing and Nick Macfie

Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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