Launched yesterday in beta, the feature will allow creators to generate video from text prompts and, eventually, from images.
Snap founder and CEO Evan Spiegel addressed the crowd yesterday at the company’s annual Partner Summit. / Snap
At its annual Partner Summit event yesterday, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, announced the introduction of an AI-generated video tool for creators.
The new tool, now available in beta exclusively for a small cohort of early testers, will allow creators to “make engaging videos with AI from a simple text, or soon, image prompt,” according to Ceci Mourkogiannis, Snap’s vice-president of product.
The new tool is part of Snap’s broader and ongoing effort to embrace AI and machine learning in order to enhance user experience. Early last year, the company unveiled My AI, an in-app, GPT-3-powered chatbot, for Snapchat+ subscribers.
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The tool marks a leap ahead of other popular social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, which have yet to launch their own AI-generated video capabilities. This could be a big win for Snap as it continues to compete for creators – and the ad revenue they can rake in – in addition to the attention of younger users.
“If Snap can make AI-generated videos easily functional for creators, they’ll be a first mover in the space and become a trusted platform in AI at a time when many creators and Gen Zers are skeptical about the quality, performance and consistency of AI-enabled content,” says Shaina Zafar, an executive at United Talent Agency (UTA), which represents major artists, creators and entertainers.
Other experts agree that the deployment of the tool is likely to benefit creators and strengthen the app’s growth. “Snap’s text-to-video AI models will further enhance the ability to create engaging content and unlock never-before-seen avenues of creativity,” says Chris Jacks, director of growth strategy at HireInfluence, another influencer marketing agency. “Creators will serve as the foundation of their content, but the ability to augment content visually will be unlocked in a way never seen before by tools like text-to-video.”
The development could also help to attract more advertising dollars to Snapchat as brands seek out partnerships with creators using the video-generation features.
“Many brands like to be the first to create something niche and get involved in a newly accessible technology, which can capture audience attention because it’s new and intriguing,” says Ed East, co-founder and group CEO of influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy. “We expect brands to collaborate with creators on Snap to get involved.”
Key concerns about AI-generated content for many users, advertisers and technologists are transparency and responsibility.
HireInfluence’s Jacks, for instance, underscores the criticality of labeling AI content – for both creators and consumers. “The most important aspect of this subject is proper disclosure of what content has been developed or assisted by AI-based tools,” he says, adding that the absence of proper guardrails could have serious consequences for the entire burgeoning industry of AI-generated creativity.
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Snap’s Mourkogiannis said that all AI-generated videos shared on the platform will come with disclosure icons and “context cards,” clarifying to users that the content is AI-created. A company spokesperson told The Drum that Snap will subject these features to rigorous safety tests before the experimental feature is deployed more broadly.
The subject of disclosure for AI-generated content has taken on new significance in a year when nearly half of the global population is undergoing elections and political misinformation is rife on social media. Many platforms have introduced policies mandating the labeling or watermarking of AI-generated content. Meanwhile, a California bill aims to legally require the watermarking or labeling of AI-generated content.
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