TikTok trials AI chatbot 'Tako' for content discovery.

TikTok is testing an AI chatbot called Tako in select markets to help users with search and discovery. Users can ask Tako questions about videos or ask for recommendations on a particular topic. The bot is being reviewed for safety purposes and to enhance user experience, but privacy concerns arise as the conversations are not being deleted after chats end. The long-term data retention policies or privacy aspects of the chatbot are unclear. The chatbot is being tested in the Philippines and is not currently public in the US.