TikTok Experiments With AI Chatbot Tako to Enhance Search and Discovery: What it Means for Creators and Marketers
Source: Watchful
TikTok is currently experimenting with an AI chatbot named Tako in the Philippines. The chatbot appears above the TikTok profile icon on videos, allowing users to tap it and initiate a chat where they can ask questions and engage in conversations. Tako serves users with a list of suggested videos, including a thumbnail, the video name, the creator, the topic, and a link to watch it. Unlike Snapchat's My AI, which is more conversational, Tako's primary focus is on search and discovery within TikTok, according to a statement by TikTok.
What it Means for Creators, Marketers, and TikTok
TikTok already delivers highly personalized content and recommendations to users based on their viewing habits and engagement patterns. Tako will further enhance the personalized experience by utilizing first-party data from user inputs. This benefits everyday users who can find a vast, infinite amount of personalized content.
New Discovery Touchpoints for Creators
Creators whose videos align with popular prompts may experience increased discovery and reach. This allows smaller creators to grow their audiences through a new touchpoint. If Tako becomes a common way for users to find content, some creators may shift their content strategy to optimize their chances of being discovered through the chatbot. Creators must increasingly have a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy across platforms like TikTok to be discovered. The continued emergence of chatbots will also make it necessary to have a chatbot optimization strategy for discovery.
A Research Tool for Marketers
Tako provides exciting opportunities for marketers as a valuable research tool for TikTok. Instead of spending significant time scrolling through the platform to identify emerging creators and trends, marketers can efficiently find them by using prompts. For instance, I have been dedicating a lot of time to researching the influencer marketing strategies of competitors for the brands I work with. This process usually takes hours, but with Tako, I can potentially expedite and streamline the research by asking questions that surface examples of sponsored content from specific brands and quickly accessing relevant links.
New Avenue for Advertising on TikTok
Tako could become a new avenue for advertising on TikTok, similar to My AI. TikTok could introduce ads within its chatbot, expanding its Search Ads format. This offering generated excitement for brands looking to reach Gen Z audiences as they leverage social media for their search needs, but reports of its effectiveness have been mixed. Incorporating ad placements in Tako could make TikTok's offering even stronger, especially if brands can target based on specific keywords and topics.
Generative AI-Powered Search Experiences Gain Traction
The experimental launch of Tako aligns with the growing trend of generative AI-powered search experiences. The popularity of ChatGPT, as well as Google and Microsoft updating their search engines with more AI capabilities, demonstrates that this approach is quickly becoming a preferred way to search and find information.
Source: Watchful
Expect TikTok to Proceed Cautiously with Tako in the US
The integration of generative AI with social media is an exciting development, but it raises many potential issues. TikTok, for example, is already under scrutiny for concerns related to data, privacy, mental health, and misinformation. Adding a chatbot to the platform only exacerbates these concerns. TikTok is well aware of this, as evidenced by the disclaimers users must agree to before using Tako, such as not sharing personal information and not using it for medical, legal, or financial advice. By deciding to test it in the Philippines instead of the United States, where it continues to face pressure from lawmakers, the company is showing a more cautious approach to incorporating generative AI into its platform in certain regions.
