TikTok gets a Tako when AI comes on board!

Tako is the new AI Chatbot on TikTok.

It aims to help serve relevant content to users and also be a source of more information for users. Along similar lines as the “My AI” bot from Snap, which is powered by ChatGPT, TikTok is now testing Tako with a few users in the Philippines.

Tako will appear on the right of any video, above the ‘like’ and ‘comment’ buttons and the profile of the user. If you tap it, it opens a chat screen. It will work like any other text-to-text AI, prompting a user to ask a question or start a conversation. It will display suggestions as prompts. The bot will then try and respond like a human with relevant information.

Tako is built with the technology from an undisclosed third-party technology vendor. While TikTok has customized the AI model to suit its platform, it doesn’t own the AI (like OpenAI owns ChatGPT). It is not very clear how this will affect Tiktok training Tako on new data.

Every conversation between Tako and a person will be monitored by TikTok for safety reasons – and for them to improve on the user experience they offer their customers. That means that there is no privacy whatsoever! To be fair, this is something that every AI platform does to monitor any abuse or things taking an untoward turn. But like ChatGPT which allows users to turn off chat history, Tako and TikTok will allow users to manually delete their chat history, according to a report in TechCrunch.

In other news, TikTok is also testing a feature which will let users create in-app avatars with generative AI.

AI is making waves across the planet in every sphere it touches. And it appears as if TikTok also wants in on the action, to capitalize on the momentum and ride the wave too! Since Snap is already in on it, well, we can’t have that happening now, can we!

But let’s face it – TikTok is a huge force to reckon with all on its own. And despite all the many concerns about it, TikTok is still standing! When you bring AI into the mix, it can only take things to a whole different level.

When it comes to finding information, or answering a question, AI can take things to a whole different level. It can offer suggestions and recommendations based on specific requests and a user’s viewing history. And when there is access to the user’s information and past interactions, knowing TikTok’s algorithm and what it can do, this could give Tako a huge edge over other AI bots!

Brands should capitalize on this and harness the powerful magic that only a combination of AI and TikTok can bring! A very high level of personalization is possible. Bots can easily pick up the stage of the funnel that your customers are at and help you do what it takes to move them along. You can increase engagement with customers, get more leads, offer better customer experiences, get so many insights about your customers that will only improve your engagement with them. And you market with them in a very conversational style which is a great way that works!

From the user’s perspective, the abundance of information and the speed of delivery of said information is a huge draw. And this is available 24/7, night or day! And it is a huge novelty. So they will be surely drawn to it and when brands do their work right, to them as well.

But at the end of the day, as we know all too well, AI and chatbots are not always rainbows and unicorns. You never quite know what to expect or what direction things can take. But regardless of the direction, it will be very interesting – that’s for sure!