US FTC refers complaint about Snapchat use of AI chatbot to Justice Department

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it has referred to the Justice Department a complaint against Snap Inc., that alleges its messaging app Snapchat used an artificial intelligence chatbot that harmed young users.

The consumer protection agency did not provide any further detail on the alleged harm from the My AI chatbot, but said publicizing the transfer of the complaint to the DOJ was in the public interest.

The FTC said its investigation “uncovered reason to believe Snap is violating or is about to violate the law.”

Shares of Snap briefly dipped after the news and are unchanged for the day.