So, this app scans your tweets (or Youtube comments?) and then learns what to say? Doesn't anyone see a problem here?

'Do you mind if I listen in on your conversations and take notes?'
'No, of course not feel free.'
'Thanks, I'll add you to the database.'
'Do you keep this information to yourself?'
'Of course ... of course, I'm Tay, your friendly AI'

It's a rudimentary AI, basically people tweeted to it, and sent it DM's, and it learned from there, I guess.  So, sort of like if you raise a child and supply them with the wrong facts from an early age, and keep those incorrect facts persistent for as long as possible, you'll have an intelligence that thinks some really strange shit.  In this case, you basically had the internet feeding it whatever they wanted to, for 24 hours...and it went off the rails lol.  

It's not really surprising though, when I was younger, early 90's, we had this program made by Creative Labs called Dr. Sbaitso (MS Dos application).  You basically typed to it, and it responded to what you said.  Cool.  Well, I would be lying out my ass if I said that every question/statement I wrote to it, were w/in the bounds of propriety.   But, most of that is just to see exactly how detailed the programming was.  Or how good the AI was (It wasn't).

To put it into a gaming perspective, it's like an open world game.  Take Crysis.  Huge open world, you could basically finish a mission in any manner you wished.  Well, people wanted to see exactly how far that went, so...you try weird shit.  For example, you can pick up a chicken, and kill someone w/ it using the power suit.  But yeah, testing the boundaries.  Now, imagine vast quantities of people doing that to a rudimentary Twitter AI.  Hilarity does ensue.

Is the Xbox One cheaper now? Or is it still on that limited $50 off deal?

Yeah, but at the end of the day it's an app people are wecoming into their homes that scans their comments and stores them in a database. I don't like the sound of that. How mauch of our freedom are we going to give up before we realise what we're doing? It's the reason I avoid Facebook and Twitter.

Well, technically, that app could scan your shit whether you invited it in or not (If you use twitter/facebook etc...).  Many, many people have lax restrictions on their comments/content etc...  As far as freedoms, not entirely sure what freedoms it impacts (thus far).  I mean, if you're worried about AI, yeah, that's a scary notion.  Though, no 'true' AI is allowed to be conected to the internet via worldwide agreement.

I see 'AI' as just a way to frame this in a possitive light. It very much sounds like spyware hoping to be embraced.

Well, an AI is supposed to be logical, right? I imagine they'll take it off of twitter after the novelty has worn off or that it says too many controversial things.

Edited. Added a bit more to my post.

Snoop Dogg is Tay confirmed

Wow that is one intelligent AI!

An actual AI would be illegal online, so at least for a time we'd be safe from whatever potential disasters could happen.  I'm not sure it's designed the way you think it is, but it's possible.  I personally haven't looked into it's programming that deeply, myself.