Since first introducing the generative AI assistant, Snap has been steadily increasing the amount of AI in its app. Now the company adds A new slate of AI-powered features as we begin testing a larger redesign of the app.
Snap often rolls out new AI features to Snapchat+ subscribers first, and the company is continuing the trend with a new feature called My Selfie. The feature uses selfies to create AI-generated images of users and their friends (if they’re also subscribed) in creative poses and situations. The company is also introducing a new “grandparent lens” that uses artificial intelligence to imagine what you might look like as a senior citizen.
Snapchat+ subscribers will also get access to a new artificial intelligence feature that tracks previously saved photos in memories. With the change, Memories will be able to feature photos and videos edited with AI-generated captions or new AR lens effects.
Additionally, Snap is making chatGPT-powered MyAI assistant even more powerful with photo-based “problem solving” capabilities. The company says the assistant will be able to translate restaurant menus, identify plants and understand parking signs.
The new AI capabilities come as Snap begins testing a broader redesign of its app, intended to make Snapchat, long criticized for its confusing interface, simpler and more intuitive. The new design will bring conversations between friends and Stories content into a unified view, with Stories above the conversations. (Interestingly, move the chats and Stories of previously merged users into a single feed in a previous feed, not very popular (Redesign in 2018.) The redesign will also remove the separate tab for Snap Map and place it in the chat tab instead.
And instead of maintaining separate sections for Spotlight and Stories, Snap will combine the two into a single “Watch” feed that algorithmically recommends content. While the current iteration of Snapchat has five different sections, the “simplified” version will have just three sections, including the camera, which will be the first screen users see when they launch the app.
Snap has struggled with major redesigns in the past, and the company said it intends to roll out the new look slowly, with only a small number of users starting to upgrade.
