Meta is adding another AI element to WhatsApp, this time through a new image creation tool that will let you place yourself in a fantasy scene for your profile picture.
As you can see in this screenshot posted by Android Authority, Meta is developing a new “Imagine Me” feature on WhatsApp that will let you create AI-powered variations of your profile picture based on a text prompt.
To activate this process, simply upload a selfie or a collection of selfies, type “Imagine me…” and enter your desired settings.
According to Android Authority:
“It’s not available yet, but leaked screenshots suggest that the first time you use the feature, you’ll be asked to upload a few reference selfies, after which the Meta AI chatbot will create new images in which it ‘imagines’ you in different environments, like a forest or space.”
The process is very similar to Snapchat’s “Dreams” selfie generator tool.
Dreams is essentially the same thing, allowing you to generate AI variations of yourself and place your face into different scenarios and personas in the process.
We think this is just a fun little thing and could be an interesting addition for WhatsApp, offering some more creative options for the platform’s billions of users.
But this isn’t exactly a game changer, and feels more like we’re waiting for a killer use case for AI within social and messaging apps. Meta also added AI chatbots to Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp in April, but while they add something to each app feature-wise, they still don’t feel like game-changing add-ons.
Meta aims to be a leader in the AI field and is also experimenting with the option to create an AI version of yourself.
But do these features offer more than novelty value? Are they actually valuable, lasting options that will increase engagement on the platform?
Maybe I’m missing the fun, but given that Meta is investing billions of dollars in developing AI models, it seems like they need to find more valuable use cases for AI.
So Meta’s investment is in the future of computing, and ultimately in artificial general intelligence (AGI). Building systems that can actually simulate human thinking is the holy grail of AI. But that’s still a long way off, and we’re not convinced the current wave of AI development will actually add much value to social apps.
But it’s a cool selfie, I guess. It’s worth billions of dollars.
WhatsApp’s “Imagine Me” feature is still in the early stages of development and is yet to undergo public testing.
