Snapchat officially announced that its first open-style AI image generation tool, "Imagine Lens," will be free for all users. This move is an important strategy by Snapchat to compete with competitors such as Meta (Meta AI) and OpenAI (Sora) in the AI video generation field, as they are vying for the attention of young people.
Core Features: From Paid Privileges to Mass Creation
"Imagine Lens" was initially launched in September but was only available to paying users. Now, all users can use this Lens to edit their own Snaps or generate new images directly through custom text prompts. For example, users can ask the app, "Turn me into an alien" after a selfie, or request a photo of a "Grumpy Cat." Snapchat encourages users to explore creative Halloween costumes or create new "identities" for friends using this feature.
The generated image results can be easily shared with friends, posted to Snapchat stories, or shared on platforms outside the App.
Expanding Free Features to Meet Market Pressures
Previously, Snapchat's AI Lenses were only available to Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers. Given the increasingly fierce AI competition, especially with the emergence of more advanced AI video generation tools like Meta AI and OpenAI's Sora, Snapchat's decision to make "Imagine Lens" available to free users is seen as a worthwhile investment.
Snap also stated that as the AI Lens expands, they will offer a limited number of image generation features to all free users.
Usage Details and Market Plans
This new Lens is now available to free users in the United States, and other markets such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia are also in the planning stage. Users can find this Lens at the top of the "Lens Carousel" page within the app, or search by name. Users can click on the title to edit and create their own prompts, or use pre-loaded suggestions for inspiration.
Snapchat noted that users access its "Lenses" more than 8 billion times per day, indicating that "Imagine Lens" has a huge user base and potential.