Discord is abruptly shutting down Clyde, its experimental AI chatbot, by the end of November. According to a new support update, Clyde will be “deactivated” on November 30th, preventing users from summoning the bot in messages after that date.
Clyde Launched in March of This Year
Clyde first emerged earlier this year when Discord started testing its conversational abilities with select users. Powered by OpenAI’s models, the chatbot could respond to questions and chat naturally with Discord members. But after months in limited beta, Clyde’s rollout is suddenly being scrapped. We’re not sure if this has anything to do with the continuing chaos at OpenAI.
Discord hasn’t explained the reasoning behind Clyde’s cancellation. The company isn’t sharing specifics on why it lost confidence in baking an AI chatbot directly into its service.
In a vague statement, Kellyn Slone, Discord’s director of product communications, said:
“Clyde is an experiment shared with a small percentage of servers. Discord is constantly working on bringing users new features and experiences. Clyde is one iteration of this work, and we look forward to unveiling new user experiences in the future.”
The Company Hints At New AI Integrations
While the end of Clyde’s test run is disappointing, Discord seems to be hinting that its vision for AI integration remains fluid and subject to change.
It’s possible a virtual assistant may reemerge as a paid feature for Nitro subscribers down the line. Or, Discord may have simply gathered enough insight from the trial to identify limitations in merging an AI bot with its chat platform.
Either way, the company isn’t revealing its hand yet. Still, the abrupt shutdown of a capability Discord was clearly eager about just months ago suggests a strategic pivot is underway.
Beyond Clyde, Discord was actively experimenting with AI in other areas recently. This includes AI-powered conversation summaries to help users catch up on missed discussions in busy servers.
Discord tried positioning itself as an AI developer hub, offering funding and resources so builders can create Discord apps enhanced by machine learning.
While Clyde may not have panned out, Discord still aims to incorporate AI meaningfully across its chat and community platform. Users shouldn’t be surprised if new experimental features emerge, even if Clyde’s conversational skills specifically are getting canned for now.
Discord’s product team is going back to the drawing board to determine the best way to harness AI. But the company maintains that ambition, even if deliverables and timelines remain in flux.
By scrapping Clyde quickly rather than dragging out a flawed beta, Discord is clearing space to iterate and try new approaches. While the chatbot misfire is a setback, Discord’s bigger vision for AI still appears intact as it charts a new course forward.
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Read more: Discord Shuts Down Its AI Chatbot, Clyde
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