- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Time running out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
- Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer
- The long walk for water in the parched Colombian Amazon
- Biden-Netanyahu to talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- France vows to step up drugs fight after police vehicles torched
- Air France says jet flew over Iraq during Iran attack on Israel
- Activists target Picasso work to protest Israel arms sales
- Let 'Emily in Paris' remain in Paris, Macron says
Snapchat seeks path to profit without losing its way
Snapchat parent Snap on Wednesday unveiled new tactics including the increased use of artificial intelligence in its struggle to expand beyond the app's loyal user base and reach profitability.
Snap chief Evan Spiegel, who cofounded the Southern California-based company in 2011, opened its annual conference with word that an average of 750 million people use the image-centric messaging service each month.
In more than 20 countries, Snapchat reaches the vast majority of those who range in age from 13 to 34, Spiegel said.
But unlike Meta, with its "family" of apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Snap has never made enough money from advertising to turn an annual profit.
Last year, Snap's net loss tripled to $1.43 billion and it laid off a fifth of its workforce.
Tools and products presented on Wednesday were intended to attract audience-winning creators to the platform, get users paying for subscriptions, and convince partners such as advertisers that the app is a place to be.
However, Snapchat must be "careful not to stray too far from its roots" as an ephemeral, fun messaging service as it seeks ways to make money, warned Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg.
Snapchat needs to find a balance between private exchanges, "public spaces," and the sense of "community and intimacy" that it has cultivated since its inception, the analyst added.
- AI Snaps -
A decade ago, Snapchat came on the scene with an intentionally ephemeral product -- images that disappear after a short period, an idea that was copied by other platforms. Users invented "stories," a way for them to put "Snaps" taken through any given day together into a visual tale.
The service was a pioneer in using images instead of words to communicate, and playfully augmenting what cameras see using artificial intelligence "lenses."
But, "no one is talking about" Snapchat because "they are not relevant," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP.
Snapchat does not even seem to attract the interest of regulators, who have made targets of TikTok and Meta, the analyst noted.
Spiegel embraced the difference, casting Snapchat as a break from the "social media popularity contest."
"We're fed up with having to look pretty or perfect in every post," Spiegel said.
"Tired of competing for likes and comments; exhausted by misinformation."
Snapchat, instead, is a place to enjoy authentically communicating with friends and family, he maintained.
The app opens by default in a smartphone camera, letting users take photos or videos with or without filters to augment reality.
Such "Snaps" can be shared publicly at Snapchat or privately with those in one's selected circle.
Tools presented on Wednesday included being able to ask questions of a "My AI" chatbot in group exchanges.
Subscribers to the Snapchat+ subscription service launched last year will soon be able to send Snaps to My AI and get a "unique generative Snap back that keeps the visual conversation going," the company said.
- 'Not essential' -
Like rivals, Snapchat is out to woo "influencers" whose posts attract viewers and advertisers.
Snap vice president Jack Brody reasoned that creators find Snapchat to be a place where they can "express their authentic selves."
Alyssa McKay, a 23-year-old creator, told AFP of going from doing scripted skits on TikTok that weren't really her to winning fans by being herself on Snapchat.
"I am one of the top female creators on Snapchat," said McKay, who has some two million subscribers at the service and gets a share of ad revenue.
"I have such a strong relationship with my audience because they feel like they know me, and you don't get that on other platforms."
But, Snapchat is not considered essential by most social media influencers, said Alessandra Angelini, founder of Influur, a service that connects brands with content creators.
They tend to put their energy into making money at Instagram and TikTok, not considering Snapchat as promising, Angelini said of influencers.
Snapchat on Wednesday set out to win them over with more ways to be noticed and share in ad revenue.
Snap also gave more details about ARES, its new business unit that will provide a suite of augmented reality tools for online retailers.
P.Stevenson--AMWN