Discord, the popular chat and communities app, has announced it will shut down Clyde, its experimental AI chatbot. The termination, which will take effect by December 1st, remains shrouded in mystery with potential reasons ranging from a future paid feature to a strategic move from the company.
Discord to deactivate Clyde
Discord, the widely used chat and communities app, has decided to shut down Clyde, its experimental AI chatbot. According to a support note published by the company, Clyde will be 'deactivated' by the end of this month. Users will no longer have access to Clyde's services in their private DMs, group DMs, or server chats after the given date.
Clyde's development using OpenAI models
Clyde's development and testing phase started earlier this year when Discord began utilizing OpenAI's models. These models were used to equip Clyde with the ability to answer questions and engage in conversations with Discord users. The chatbot has been under limited testing since then, and Discord had initially planned to make Clyde a core component of its chat and communities app.
Unclear reasons behind Clyde's shutdown
The sudden decision to shut down Clyde has left many perplexed. Discord hasn't explicitly stated the reasons behind this step. There is speculation that Clyde may be re-introduced as a feature exclusive to Nitro subscribers in the future. Alternatively, Discord may have gleaned enough insights from the testing period and decided that an AI chatbot isn't necessary for its service. An official statement from Discord is yet to be received.
The deactivation of Clyde doesn't mean Discord is shying away from AI. The company has been experimenting with other AI features, including AI-generated conversation summaries. These summaries enable Discord users to keep up with conversations they might have missed, especially useful for servers spanning multiple time zones. Discord is also positioning its platform as a haven for AI developers by providing funds and resources to aid in AI app development.
