According to sources, TikTok is developing a chatbot named Tako that uses artificial intelligence to recommend videos based on questions users ask it.
The chatbot might “radically change search and navigation” in the app if TikTok decides to make it broadly available, according to Daniel Buchuk of Watchful Technologies, a company that foresees these kinds of forthcoming app modifications for Fortune 500 firms.
Tako can be seen seated above the TikTok profile icon to the right of a video in screenshots from the test that Buchuk shared. When you tap it, a chat box appears where the bot looks to be able to respond to a variety of questions. What AI model TikTok is utilizing to power Tako remains unknown.
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To assist a user in starting a discussion with the bot, Tako will show suggested prompts. Buchuk claims that “if I’m watching food videos and ask for a recipe, I’ll get related TikTok videos for the recipe, or if I ask for good art exhibitions in Paris, it’ll show videos alongside a list of suggestions in the answer.”
Zachary Kizer, a representative for TikTok, described the chatbot as “a limited experiment” and informed that users in North America or Europe aren’t yet allowed to use it. The business stated in a tweet that the test is exclusively taking place in the Philippines.