Snapchat shifts from OpenAI to Google for expanded AI features

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel confirmed that the company is increasingly integrating Google's Gemini AI system to enhance its AI offerings. This marks a shift from the previous reliance on OpenAI's GPT models, which Snap has used for over a year to power its ‘My AI’ chatbot.

The platform said in press release, "We will leverage the strong multimodal capabilities of Gemini on Vertex AI, particularly the technology’s ability to understand and operate across different types of information like text, audio, image, video, and code, to offer more engaging and innovative features for our Snapchat community through My AI. For example, with Gemini on Vertex AI integrated into the app, Snapchatters can ask My AI to translate a photo of a street sign while traveling abroad, or take a video of different snack offerings to ask which one is the healthiest option." 

The integration of Google’s Gemini is aimed at improving ‘My AI's’ ability to process various types of media, including text, audio, images, and videos. According to Spiegel, Gemini’s multimodal capabilities provide a better context for solving user problems, especially in visual contexts, which aligns more with how Snap users interact with AI.

Spiegel also highlighted Google's translation features as another key advantage over OpenAI’s models. While it's unclear if the platform will fully transition away from OpenAI, the move to leverage Google’s technology suggests that the platform finds Gemini better suited for its needs, particularly in areas such as multimodal integration and problem-solving based on visual inputs. This may reflect a broader industry trend towards Google's AI advancements.