Snapchat was quick to jump aboard the AI bandwagon when it launched its “My AI” chatbot in February. And now the platform has released another feature that, like My AI, also harnesses generative AI.
Called Dreams, the feature lets you take themed selfies and can be accessed via a new tab in the app’s Memories section. Snapchat, which has nearly 400 million daily active users, says Dreams allows you to create “fantastical” images that let you try new identities, “be it a mermaid in a deep-seascape, or a renaissance-era royal.”
Dreams seems to be pretty basic at launch, offering just eight themed images. But never one to miss a revenue opportunity, Snapchat is offering additional options for $1 apiece.
You create an AI image by first uploading selfies that capture various poses, and then selecting the theme that you’re interested in. The app will then do its work to create your AI-generated selfies. Soon, the feature will also let you add a friend to the image, so long as they’ve opted in.
Dreams launched on Tuesday for the Snapchat community in Australia and New Zealand, and it will be available to folks in other countries in the coming weeks.
As mentioned at the top, Dreams follows My AI, a tool that rode the wave of interest in AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT. In fact, My AI is powered by ChatGPT.
When it’s working as it should, My AI converses with human users while answering questions and perhaps offering recommendations.
But Snapchat’s chatbot alarmed some users a couple of weeks ago when it started doing things on the app outside of its usual behavior, like posting a live Story.
One user commented, “This is very weird and honestly unsettling.” Thankfully, it turned out that rather than suddenly turning superintelligent, the AI had merely suffered a glitch that was soon sorted out.
