Not like most of its social media rivals, Snap hasn’t made many massive bets on AI. The corporate has added a bunch of generative AI-powered options to Snapchat, but it surely hasn’t made the know-how a central focus.
Now, the corporate is introducing a brand new standalone AI assistant alongside its redesigned AR glasses. Referred to as Specs Intelligence, the “anticipatory AI service” will characteristic prominently in Snap’s {hardware}, however may even have devoted desktop and cellular apps for many who haven’t got a pair of glasses.
Snap would not describe Specs Intelligence as an agent or assistant, however its description will sound acquainted to anybody who adopted Meta’s current Muse announcement. “Specs Intelligence builds an understanding of your targets, priorities, relationships, and routines from the apps and instruments you select to attach,” the corporate explains in a weblog publish.
Specs Intelligence is separate from Snapchat and sounds rather more productivity-focused than something we have beforehand seen from the corporate. The assistant depends on connections to customers’ exterior accounts, like Google, to floor well timed reminders and different related data based mostly on what it is aware of about you. For instance, the corporate says, it might spotlight “inquiries to ask, and issues to recollect” earlier than a gathering or present journey plans forward of a visit. It is also in a position to arrange data into completely different “corners” based mostly on the context during which you want them, like conserving family-related duties separate from work deadlines.
When you do have a pair of AR Specs, the assistant can floor related data immediately into your discipline of view. Specs house owners will be capable of ask it questions by saying “Hey Specs.” The characteristic wasn’t accessible throughout my demo with Specs, although I used to be in a position to launch a browser window by saying “Hey Specs,” but it surely sounds just like some facets of how Meta AI works with the corporate’s glasses.
It additionally looks like Snap is hoping to get forward of among the privateness issues folks have had with Meta’s method. The corporate says it will not use Specs intelligence to coach its AI fashions or serve adverts and that “Snap personnel can’t view or entry the non-public content material you employ with the service.”
Snap is making a restricted model of Specs Intelligence accessible within the US to attempt now by way of the Specs app on iOS. The preview model will enable customers to attach their Google accounts to see “insights about the place you spend your time and a spotlight” however will not characteristic proactive recommendations. The “full early-access” model will likely be invite-only to start out and solely accessible with Specs’ Mac app. Anybody can sign up for the waitlist now.
