Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
TikTok is testing an AI chatbot called Tako that can recommend videos based on what people ask it, according to screenshots of the feature shared with The Verge.
If TikTok ends up releasing it widely, the chatbot could “radically change search and navigation” in the app, according to Daniel Buchuk of Watchful Technologies, a firm that spots these kinds of upcoming app changes for Fortune 500 companies.
In screenshots of the test that Buchuk shared with The Verge, Tako sits above the TikTok profile icon to the right of a video. Tapping it opens up a chat screen, where the bot appears capable of answering a wide range of queries. It’s unclear what AI model TikTok is using to power Tako.
Tako will display suggested prompts to help a user…
