Snapchat has made its Imagine Lens, the company’s first open prompt image-generation AI feature, available to all users for free in the United States. It was initially restricted to paid subscribers, as competition intensifies from Meta and OpenAI’s video-generating applications.
The Imagine Lens was introduced in September exclusively for Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers. The company is now expanding the feature to free users in the US, with plans to roll it out to Canada, Great Britain and Australia. Users can edit their own Snaps using custom prompts or generate new images by typing requests such as turning themselves into an alien after snapping a selfie, or requesting a picture of a grumpy cat.
Snapchat users access Lenses more than eight billion times per day to play, explore and express themselves. The company highlighted examples of how Snapchatters are using Imagine, including turning an everyday office into a slippery slip-and-slide, trying on Halloween costume inspiration before committing to a look, and coming up with the perfect reply when nothing else quite fits the moment.
Competition from video AI tools
The broadened availability of the AI Lens follows the launch of AI video-generating apps from Meta and OpenAI, which compete for young people’s attention with more advanced AI tools and features than photo modifications, reports TechCrunch.
OpenAI’s Sora lets users generate videos of themselves after providing the app with a one-time video and audio recording to capture their appearance. Friends can share these AI personas, dubbed cameos, with one another so they can star in videos together. That puts pressure on other social apps like Snapchat to keep up, making the AI image Lens free to use a worthwhile investment for the app maker, according to TechCrunch.
Snapchat is providing users with a limited number of free image generations to experiment with the feature. The Imagine Lens can be found near the front of the in-app Lens Carousel, or users can search for it by name. To create, users tap the caption to edit their prompt or use one of the preloaded suggestions for inspiration.
Results can be shared with friends, posted to Stories on Snapchat or shared beyond the app. The company emphasised that it loves how AI unlocks creativity, encouraging users to keep it fun, stay transparent and share responsibly when using or posting AI-edited or generated content.
