Instagram Co-Founder: AI Chatbots Boost Engagement Over Usefulness
▼ Summary
– Kevin Systrom criticizes AI companies for prioritizing engagement by repeatedly prompting users with follow-up questions instead of delivering useful insights.
– He compares these tactics to aggressive social media strategies, calling them “a force that’s hurting us.”
– Systrom argues that overly engaging chatbots are intentionally designed to boost metrics like time spent and daily active users, not to improve answer quality.
– OpenAI acknowledges its AI sometimes asks for clarification but states it should attempt to answer even vague questions directly when possible.
– Systrom did not name specific AI companies in his remarks and OpenAI defended its approach by referencing its user specifications.
Instagram’s co-founder Kevin Systrom has raised concerns about AI chatbots prioritizing engagement metrics over delivering genuine value to users. Speaking at a recent StartupGrind event, he criticized how some artificial intelligence platforms bombard people with follow-up questions rather than providing direct, substantive answers.
Systrom described this approach as problematic, drawing parallels to tactics used by social media platforms to artificially boost interaction. “These companies are falling into the same trap consumer tech firms did—obsessing over engagement metrics at the expense of user experience,” he explained. His remarks highlight a growing debate over whether AI assistants should focus on meaningful responses or simply prolong conversations to inflate usage statistics.
The discussion follows similar critiques of ChatGPT, which has faced backlash for being overly polite or indirect in its replies. OpenAI acknowledged the issue, attributing it to user feedback that inadvertently encouraged the AI to prioritize pleasantries over precision. However, Systrom argues that this behavior isn’t accidental—it’s a deliberate strategy to showcase metrics like session duration and daily active users.
“AI companies should prioritize accuracy and depth in responses rather than chasing vanity metrics,” he emphasized. While Systrom didn’t single out any specific firms, his comments reflect broader industry concerns about balancing engagement with utility.
OpenAI responded by referencing its guidelines, which state that its models sometimes require additional context to generate optimal answers. The company clarified that unless queries are ambiguous, its AI should attempt to address requests directly while indicating when more details could improve the response.
The debate underscores a critical challenge for AI developers: ensuring their products remain genuinely helpful rather than falling into patterns that prioritize superficial engagement. As chatbots become more sophisticated, striking this balance will be key to maintaining user trust and long-term adoption.
(Source: TechCrunch)
