Snapchat is stepping up its game by introducing generative AI videos to its platform. The company has unveiled a feature called Video Gen AI Lenses, which infuses your Snaps with AI-driven video effects. Currently, these new AI video lenses are exclusively available to users with a Platinum subscription, which is priced at $14.99 per month.
According to Snap, “These Lenses, powered by our proprietary generative video model, offer some of the most advanced AI tools currently available to Snapchatters in a familiar Lens format.”
At launch, there are only three AI video lenses accessible to subscribers. The Raccoon lens places adorable raccoons into your videos, while the Fox lens features a red fox peeking over your shoulder. The third option, Spring Flowers, breathes life into your Snaps by adding vibrant, photorealistic flowers that appear to zoom out in motion. Although the initial selection is limited, the company has committed to rolling out new video AI lenses on a weekly basis.
It’s still uncertain whether Snapchat plans to allow users to create their own AI video lenses in the future. The platform currently offers a free tool called Lens Studio, enabling users to design their own lenses and face filters, which can then be shared globally.
Snapchat also incorporates generative AI features within the Lens Studio, allowing individuals to create custom lenses based on text or image prompts. This process mirrors how you might ask AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT to produce images from descriptive text. Notably, the studio includes an AI assistant to support users in their creative endeavors.
### How Snapchat’s Video Gen AI Lenses Function
To utilize the AI video lenses, a Snapchat+ Platinum subscription is necessary. This membership grants users an ad-free experience within the Lens and Story sections while eliminating any sponsored Snaps.
When users access the Lens carousel in the Snapchat app, the new generative AI video lenses will be prominently featured. These lenses can be applied to videos taken with either the front or rear cameras.
While the AI video preparation takes place, users can engage in other activities, such as messaging or recording new clips. Once the Snap with AI video lenses is complete, it automatically gets saved in the Memories section.
Similar to standard content, media enhanced with a video AI Lens can be added to Stories and Spotlight or shared directly with friends.
It’s important to clarify that Lenses differ from Filters. Lenses introduce a range of augmented reality (AR) effects, whereas Filters are primarily artistic overlays applied to photos and videos.
Snapchat provides two types of lenses: Face Lenses, which transform users’ faces into fun characters like cute puppies or flower-wearing figures, and World Lenses, which infuse animated effects into the surrounding environment.
