By Jo Light
Is the app still relevant for content creators?
Are you still using Snapchat? It’s the social media app that keeps on kicking, to the tune of more than 900 million monthly active users.
Are you still using Snapchat? It’s the social media app that keeps on kicking, to the tune of more than 900 million monthly active users.
Today, Perplexity.AI and Snap announced that the AI company will power AI search on Snapchat.
This $400 million partnership means the AI startup will integrate its conversational AI answer engine in the Snapchat app, starting in early 2026.
Snap’s stock surged 25% after market close, according to Deadline.
“Our goal is to make AI more personal, social, and fun—woven into the fabric of your friendships, Snaps, and conversations,” Evan Spiegel, Snap Inc. CEO, said. “This partnership reflects our shared vision for the power of AI to enhance discovery and connection on Snapchat, and we look forward to collaborating with more innovative partners in the future.”
Perplexity’s AI-powered answer engine will become a default part of Snapchat, letting users ask questions and get conversational answers within the app.
What This Means
In 2016, IndieWire called Snapchat “the new frontier for independent filmmaking.”
We’re not sure the assessment holds up, but this partnership could bring about some potential changes for content creators.
I went over to Perplexity’s search engine and asked it directly how this will help online creators, and got answers about how this new partnership will “empower Snapchat creators with AI search capabilities, improve efficiency in content creation, boost monetization options, and provide new competitive tools for digital storytelling and creative discovery.”
This is not the first integration of an AI tool within Snapchat. In 2024, it launched more augmented reality tools, and its developer program, Lens Studio, got a new suite of generative AI tools (per Reuters). Late in the year, the company also announced Snap AI Video, which lets users generate AI videos from a prompt or an image, although the rollout still seems to be in beta testing (per TechCrunch). “AI Video Lenses” were rolled out for Platinum subscribers in March 2025.
More than anything, this move is likely an attempt to position Snapchat alongside larger competitors like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Snapchat is making a big push to capture a part of that market, and it might be working. This month, Vogue reported that the platform represents a potential opportunity to reach younger social media users, some of whom never left, and others who are returning.
Snapchat is leaning hard into winning content creators, with its new Creator Collab Studio (a way for users to partner with brands) and increased monetization opportunities. Creators can earn money from ads placed within Stories and its short‑video format, Spotlight.
Winning an AI partnership (regardless of how you feel about the technology) represents another assertive step toward relevancy.
And if you want to enter the creator economy, maybe Snapchat is a platform to try, given its less-crowded space.
In addition, if you aren’t integrating Snapchat into your social media campaigns for film promotion or fundraising, you should probably consider it.
Feature image credit: Snapchat
