These AI social media features are sliding into your DMs

AI is transforming many professions and industries, generating considerable hype for Big Tech, and serving as an undeniably powerful tool for research. Setting aside the challenges associated with AI, like hallucinations and how it will impact the job market, it's a massively consequential new area of tech.

So as you might expect, this potentially revolutionary tool is already being integrated into social media. There are plenty of ways that AI is completely changing how we use these platforms and interact with their apps.

Here's a look at some of the most interesting of those tools.

Chat with Meta AI in Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp

For many people, tools like ChatGPT are incredibly useful in day-to-day life, whether it be for research purposes, generating email responses, or just chatting. But you don't have to subscribe to ChatGPT or download any additional apps to chat with an AI-based chatbot. Meta has built Meta AI, its ChatGPT equivalent, directly into all of its major social media services. You can use it directly from the Facebook Messenger app, the Instagram app, or even WhatsApp, chatting with it like you would with any other person.

The Meta AI chatbot is based on Meta's Llama large language model, a model that Meta is constantly evolving and improving. Unlike models from other companies, Llama is open source (or at least Meta claims it is), and it's gotten a whole lot better over just the past year. Best of all, you don't have to pay for anything to access it. Simply open up one of Meta's messaging platforms and start chatting with the search bar at the top. You can also, for instance, add Meta AI to a WhatsApp conversation, and everyone involved in the chat can see its answers.

AI filters and features in TikTok

TikTok is known for its filters, voice changers, and more – and the company has been building AI tools to help supercharge your TikTok videos for years now. Filters — the popular manga filter for instance — use object-recognition, or change your voice while still sounding completely natural, or add 3D objects to a space captured by your phone’s camera. These are all based on AI, and they’ve yielded some of the most interestingly creative videos on the platform yet. If you’re a creator on TikTok, it’s worth giving them a try. Who knows? They could radically enhance your content.

Snapchat AI Snaps

Snapchat isn't being left out of the AI push. Snapchat launched My AI quite a while ago, allowing you to chat directly with Snapchat's self-built bot. On top of that, the company is using image generation tools to make snaps even more creative. AI snaps allow you to transform snaps or create new ones using AI. 

You'll have to be a Snapchat+ subscriber to take advantage of this feature. If you're a subscriber, you can hit the AI button in the toolbar, then type a prompt or select a preset to create a whole new image. It takes a few seconds for the image to be generated, but it's a neat way to add a little uniqueness to your snaps.

AI translation in Instagram Reels

Soon you'll be able to watch Instagram Reels filmed in other languages as if they were originally filmed in your own language. Instagram is experimenting with a new tool that will use AI to not only translate content in a Reel but also dub and lip-sync the translated text in a voice that simulates the speaker's original voice. If the technology is effective enough, it will make it seem as if there's no translation applied to the Reel at all, just that it was filmed in whatever language you speak. In other words, you won't have to rely on translated captions to be able to follow along with content from creators that don't speak your language. 

The feature isn't out just yet, but Meta is conducting small tests with it, translating Reels between English and Spanish, and it plans to add more languages and more widely release the tool soon.