TikTok simply added an AI-powered image-to-video function and it did some bizarre issues to my cat

TikTok hasn’t shoved generative AI options into each nook of its app the best way Meta has with Instagram, however the firm has nonetheless experimented with the tech in some attention-grabbing — if — methods. Now, TikTok is introducing a brand new AI-powered function that feels much more meme-worthy. It is known as and it permits customers to create brief, stylized video clips from a static picture.

Proper now, the function solely exists for TikTok’s Tales function, so it is meant for extra ephemeral sharing than what you would possibly sometimes put up on the app. You begin with a nonetheless picture Tales put up (accessed from the app’s inbox) and select the brand new “AI Alive” choice, which prompts you to “make this picture come alive.” TikTok will floor instructed prompts, however you can too give you your personal.

You’ll be able to see the function in motion within the video under. In all three instances, I began with a picture of my cat standing on a railing and used prompts instructed by TikTok. The primary was “deliver this to life as an anime,” the second was for him to stroll “fastidiously” alongside the railing and the final was “type this like a retro sport.”

As you may see within the clip, the outcomes had been considerably combined. The anime-esque impact got here out a bit creepy and erased my cat’s tabby stripes, although I suppose it kind of aligned with the immediate. The second animation additionally appears a bit odd: there are quite a few AI artifacts and my cat’s tail and paws look unnatural. The ultimate “retro sport” type clip, although, is downright baffling. Why did TikTok’s AI determine that my cat ought to maintain up two comically big wine glasses? Nothing about it evokes any video game I’ve ever performed.

Nonetheless, like many generative AI options, it is a enjoyable novelty and I can see TikTok customers having loads of enjoyable developing with their very own, most likely weird, creations.