SANTA MONICA, California – Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has introduced cutting-edge generative AI technology designed to deliver more realistic and sophisticated augmented reality (AR) effects.
This latest innovation, unveiled on Tuesday, Jun 18, aims to enhance user experience and strengthen Snap’s position in the competitive social media landscape.
Snapchat has long been a trailblazer in AR, integrating digital effects into real-world photos and videos.
Despite being smaller than giants like Meta, Snap is confident that its advanced AR capabilities will attract new users and advertisers.
The new technology empowers AR developers to create AI-powered lenses, which Snapchat users can incorporate into their content for a more immersive experience.
In conjunction with the AI advancements, Snap has launched an upgraded version of its developer program, Lens Studio.
This enhanced platform provides artists and developers with tools to create AR features not only for Snapchat but also for other websites and apps.
Bobby Murphy, Snap’s Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the efficiency of the new Lens Studio, which significantly reduces the time needed to develop AR effects from weeks to mere hours.
“What’s fun for us is that these tools both stretch the creative space in which people can work, but they’re also easy to use, so newcomers can build something unique very quickly,” Murphy said in an interview.
Lens Studio now boasts a suite of generative AI tools, including an AI assistant to support developers with queries and a tool that generates three-dimensional images from textual prompts, eliminating the need to build 3D models from scratch.
These innovations will allow AR developers to produce more complex and lifelike effects, such as seamlessly integrating a hat that moves with a person’s head and matches the lighting in the video.
Murphy also shared Snap’s vision for future AR experiences, aiming to extend beyond facial filters to full-body AR effects, such as generating new outfits, a feature that presents significant technical challenges.
