Snapchat Unveils “Animate It” Lens, A Fun New AI-Powered Feature for the Holidays
Snapchat has introduced a new AI-powered feature called “Animate It,” a fun and interactive Lens that allows users to bring their imagination to life. Available to Lens+ subscribers, this innovative tool leverages Snap’s internally developed AI video generation model to create short, shareable videos in seconds.
With Animate It, users can activate an animation in their Snaps via text prompts, allowing them to add custom animations to their videos. For example, users can ask the Lens to add a cat pawing at their face, and the AI-powered tool will generate a unique animation that brings their idea to life.
How Animate It Works
According to Snap, the Animate It Lens uses the company’s internally developed AI video generation model to turn users’ ideas into short, shareable videos. This means that users can create motion from pure imagination, whether they want to animate a reaction, dream up a mini-movie, or turn a playful idea into a dynamic clip.
It’s worth noting that this is a significant development for Snap, as the company has largely relied on external AI tools to power its AI features in the past. The introduction of its own custom AI model suggests that Snap is working to build its own AI capabilities, although it will likely face challenges in terms of data infrastructure.
Expansion of Video AI Lenses
The Animate It Lens is an expansion of the video AI Lenses that Snapchat launched in March, which included custom animations of selected characters or objects that could be added to any clip. With this new feature, users have more flexibility and creativity in terms of what they can add to their videos.
In the previous version, users could choose from a limited selection of options, such as a raccoon or a fox, and the AI engine would animate their clip with the chosen addition. With Animate It, users have more freedom to add whatever they like, based on their prompt.
While the capabilities of the system will be interesting to note, especially considering Snap’s limited AI capacity, Animate It has the potential to be a fun and engaging addition to the platform. It could help boost user engagement over the holidays and provide a unique experience for Lens+ subscribers.
Animate It is currently available to Lens+ subscribers, and it will be interesting to see how users respond to this new feature and what kind of creative content they come up with using the Animate It Lens.
