Snapchat is set to introduce what is, in TechCrunch’s exclusive view, its first-ever generative AI video Lenses. Underneath the Lenses sits Snap’s in-house built generative video model. The three new AI Video Lenses for Snapchat are available only via Snapchat Platinum, its premium subscription tier, which costs $15.99 per month.
A spokesperson for Snap said these new AI Video Lenses utilize more recent versions of that underlying technology. The company has seen Snap as a leader in AR, but it has also funnelled money into AI in recent years to compete with virtually every other tech company out there. With the new AI Video Lenses, Snap is now starting to embrace AI to remain competitive and assure users that features never seen in competing platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, will surely be provided.
Snapchat is manually starting with three AI Video Lenses at launch; it’ll add more These Lenses are accessible through the Lens carousel. You can select the Lens and capture a Snap using either the front or back camera.
The AI video will be generated and saved into your Memories all automatically. “These Lenses, powered by our in-house built generative video model, are bringing some of the most cutting edge AI tools available today to Snapchatters through a familiar Lens format,” said the company in its blog post. “We have a long history of being first movers to bring advanced AR, ML and AI tools directly to our community, and now we are very excited to see what it is that Snapchatters will come up with.” As Snapchat points out, it just makes sense to integrate generative AI into Lenses when that is a format that users have known and loved for many years. every week after that. The initial Lenses include “Raccoon” and “Fox,” both animating furry friends cuddling with you. The third, “Spring Flowers,” Lens generates a zoom-out effect revealing the person in your Snap holding a bouquet.
Snap, which has in the past relied on AI solutions from OpenAI and Google to develop some of its features, now intends to build up some of its own models internally. Last month, it introduced an AI text-to-image research model for mobile devices, which will be working on some features in Snapchat in the coming months. In implementing such technology in-house, Snap, at the time, underlined that it will be able to provide its community with high-quality AI tools at lower operating costs.