TikTok Unveils AI Alive: Transforming Static Photos into Dynamic Videos

TikTok launches TikTok AI Alive, a new image-to-video tool | TechCrunch

TikTok is launching its first image-to-video AI feature, the company announced on Tuesday. The new feature is called "TikTok AI Alive" and allows users to turn static photos into videos within TikTok Stories. The feature is only accessible via TikTok's Story Camera and uses AI to create short-form videos with "movement, atmospheric and creative effects," TikTok says. For instance, if your static photo features a sky, clouds, and the ocean, TikTok could turn the photo into a video where the sky gradually shifts hues, the clouds start to drift, and you hear the sound of waves crashing. Or, you could animate a group selfie that highlights gestures and expressions. The launch of the new image-to-video features comes a few years after TikTok introduced an in-app text-to-image AI generator. While both Instagram and Snapchat also offer text-to-image AI features for creators, TikTok is now taking a step further by offering its users the ability to create videos from images. It's worth noting that Snapchat has said it will soon allow creators to generate AI videos from images. AI Alive stories will have an AI-generated label to notify users that the content was created with AI. Plus, this content will have C2PA metadata embedded, which is a technical standard that helps others identify that the video is AI-generated, even if it's downloaded and shared beyond TikTok. "We are always building with safety in mind, and the same goes for our AI innovations," TikTok said in a blog post. "As this technology enables new forms of creative expression, it undergoes multiple trust and safety checks to protect our community. To help prevent people from creating content that violates our policies, moderation technology reviews the uploaded photo and written AI generation prompt as well as the AI Alive video before it's shown to the creator." TikTok notes that people can report videos that they think break the app's rules, and that the app conducts a final safety check once a creator shares an AI Alive story. Creators can create an AI Alive video by opening the Story Camera and tapping the blue plus button on the top of the Inbox page or Profile page. From there, you can choose a photo from your Story Album. You will then see the AI Alive icon on the right side toolbar on the photo edit page.

TikTok just added an AI-powered image-to-video feature and it did some weird things to my cat

TikTok hasn't shoved generative AI features into every corner of its app the way Meta has with Instagram, but the company has still experimented with the tech in some interesting -- if -- ways. Now, TikTok is introducing a new AI-powered feature that feels even more meme-worthy. It's called and it allows users to create short, stylized video clips from a static image. Right now, the feature only exists for TikTok's Stories feature, so it's meant for more ephemeral sharing than what you might typically post on the app. You start with a still image Stories post (accessed from the app's inbox) and choose the new "AI Alive" option, which prompts you to "make this photo come alive." TikTok will surface suggested prompts, but you can also come up with your own. You can see the feature in action in the video below. In all three cases, I started with an image of my cat standing on a railing and used prompts suggested by TikTok. The first was "bring this to life as an anime," the second was for him to walk "carefully" along the railing and the last was "style this like a retro game." As you can see in the clip, the results were somewhat mixed. The anime-esque effect came out a bit creepy and erased my cat's tabby stripes, though I suppose it more or less aligned with the prompt. The second animation also looks a bit odd: there are numerous AI artifacts and my cat's tail and paws look unnatural. The final "retro game" style clip, though, is downright baffling. Why did TikTok's AI decide that my cat should hold up two comically huge wine glasses? Nothing about it evokes any video game I've ever played. Still, like many generative AI features, it's a fun novelty and I can see TikTok users having a lot of fun coming up with their own, probably bizarre, creations.

TikTok's newest AI filter turns your photos into videos - 9to5Mac

Today, TikTok announced AI Alive, an AI filter that will allow users to animate static photos through prompts. ByteDance says that this new image-to-video feature undergoes multiple checks to avoid misuse, and its output will be labeled as AI-generated. Here's how to use it. AI Alive is accessible through TikTok's Story Camera. After the user selects a photo from the Story Album, they see a new "AI Alive" icon alongside the traditional editing tools. Once tapped, the interface displays a text box in which the user can prompt the model with a description of what they want to happen in the photo-turned-video. As described by TikTok: Imagine capturing a serene sunset photo and effortlessly turning it into a cinematic clip: the sky gradually shifts hues, clouds drift lazily, and ambient sounds of waves crashing in the distance bring the scene to life. Or take a group selfie and bring it to life as a lively, animated memory that highlights the subtle gestures and expressions of friends or family. AI Alive unlocks these creative possibilities, taking everyday content to the next level. Addressing possible trust and safety concerns, TikTok stressed the security steps it takes to curb abuse. It also said that all videos created by AI Alive will embed C2PA metadata, currently the closest thing to an industry standard for labeling AI-generated media. Oddly enough, TikTok didn't share a video showcasing the feature in action, but it shouldn't take long for users to see them in their TikTok feed.