In an unusual statement, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had forwarded a complaint against Snapchat owner Snap Inc. to the Department of Justice.

The committee was vague on the details but said it "involves the company's deployment of the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot My AI in its Snapchat app and the risks and harm allegedly caused to young users of the app."

My AI uses OpenAI technology to allow Snapchat users to chat and ask questions within the Snapchat app. It launches in 2023, and the company says millions of users use the feature.

A Snap spokesperson said hollywood reporter The complaint "is based on inaccurate facts and lacks specific evidence. It also fails to establish any tangible harm and raises serious First Amendment concerns."

DOJ referrals typically are not made public until charges are filed, and the FTC said in a statement that "while the Commission does not typically disclose the fact that it has referred a complaint, we believe it is in the public interest to do so."

The transfer, which comes just days before the Biden administration hands over control of the Justice Department to the Trump administration, may not go anywhere, especially given statements from Republican Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, who said he " The matter was approved at the meeting, which was not involved in this farce. "

After Trump takes office, Ferguson will succeed Lina Khan as chair of the Federal Trade Commission.

The commission voted 3-0-2 to approve the release of the statement, with Ferguson and Commissioner Melissa Holyoke absent.

"Because the complaint itself remains private, I am unable to release a detailed analysis of its many issues at this time," Ferguson added. "But for now, I can say that the Complaint's application of Section 5 of the FTC Act is not only erroneous in legal interpretation, but is in direct conflict with First Amendment guarantees."

Over the past year or so, the Federal Trade Commission has been paying close attention to artificial intelligence technology. Last year, Reddit revealed that the council had struck a deal to license AI training data for LL.M.

A Snap spokesperson said in a statement: “Since launching My AI, Snap has leveraged its rigorous security and privacy processes to create a product that is not only beneficial to our community but also transparent and transparent about its capabilities and limitations. "Unfortunately, on the final day of this administration, a divided FTC decided to vote down a proposed complaint that failed to consider any of these efforts, was based on inaccurate information, and lacked concrete evidence. .It also failed to establish any tangible harm and raised serious First Amendment concerns.

"While we share the FTC's commitment to ensuring the thoughtful development of generative AI, this complaint will stifle innovation and competition in a critical and growing sector of the economy," the statement continued. "We look forward to working with the new Governments collaborate on AI policy to support American innovation while protecting our communities.”