Emerce Marketing Live: Snap and Authentic Intelligence

Published: 2026-05-15 02:01:21 ET SNAP

Published on 05/15/2026 at 02:01 am EDT

Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, is increasingly using the term “Authentic Intelligence” to describe its vision of artificial intelligence. The term sounds like a new technological concept, but in reality it is primarily strategic positioning: Snap wants to present AI as something that supports human interaction rather than replacing it. How that works will be explained by Kate Mellett, Head of Creative Strategy EMEA, at Emerce Marketing Live!

At a time when many social platforms are being flooded with algorithmic content, deepfakes and AI-generated posts, Snap is trying to differentiate itself from competitors such as Meta Platforms (with Instagram and Facebook) and ByteDance (owner of TikTok). Whereas these platforms rely heavily on public feeds and recommendation algorithms, Snapchat has for years emphasised private communication between friends and direct interaction.

According to Snap, AI should contribute to that personal experience. This happens in part through features such as My AI, the chatbot within Snapchat that can answer users’ questions or hold conversations. The company is also experimenting with AI-powered lenses and creative tools that allow users to generate or edit images.

A key element of Snap’s strategy is transparency. The company is trying to make it clear when content has been generated by AI and when users are dealing with automated systems. In doing so, Snap is responding to growing concerns about fake content and digital manipulation.

With the term “Authentic Intelligence”, Snap mainly wants to say that, in its view, AI should be more human, more transparent and more creative. Instead of technology that further automates social media, Snap presents AI as a tool for real communication between real people.

Critics point out that the concept is mostly clever marketing. In the end, Snap uses many of the same generative AI technologies as other major tech companies. The difference lies mainly in how the company packages that technology: as an alternative to the often-criticised algorithmic culture of other social platforms.

Kate Mellett is Head of Creative Strategy EMEA at Snap Inc. and has spent nearly ten years developing creative and AR strategies for brands such as Nike, Uber, McDonald’s and Sky. Before that, she worked for more than twenty years in marketing strategy at agencies including 4Creative, VCCP and Mother. She has won multiple awards, including a Cannes Lions Cyber Gold for the Sneakerpedia campaign for Foot Locker.

Emerce Marketing Live! takes place on Friday 29 May at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam