During its annual Meta Connect event on Wednesday, Meta showcased significant advancements in its AI capabilities. Among the new offerings, the company introduced a voice chat feature and enhanced functionalities for its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Additionally, Meta expanded its experimental ‘Imagine’ feature across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Originally launched earlier this year, this feature allows users to recreate their profile pictures in various AI-generated styles, and it is now being made available to all users.
As detailed in a newsroom announcement, the new feature enables users to generate images from text prompts. Users can also provide an image for the AI to work from; however, until now, they were not allowed to use their profile pictures to produce new images.
That policy is changing following the announcements at Meta Connect 2024. The redesigned ‘Imagine’ feature will be accessible to all users on Facebook and Instagram, empowering them to create engaging posts and Stories.
In essence, users can prompt Meta AI to visualize them in fantastical roles such as superheroes, royal figures, or astronauts. According to the images shared by the company, the AI-generated renderings will have a distinctively digital aesthetic, steering clear of hyper-realism. Furthermore, the generated images will feature AI-generated watermarks.
On platforms like Instagram Direct Messaging and Messenger, users can now leverage AI to create personalized chat themes. Previously, users were limited to altering background colors and chat bubbles; this new update brings a broader scope of customization options.
Moreover, Meta is piloting a recommendation feature related to the Imagine functionality. This feature will propose AI-generated images based on users’ profile pictures, reflecting their interests or current trends, visible in their feeds on both Instagram and Facebook. If users find these generated images appealing, they will have the option to share them on their feeds or Stories. They can also tap on an image to modify the suggested content further.
