What you need to know
- WhatsApp could be testing a new feature that allows users to create AI-generated images of themselves.
- The "imagine me" feature requires users to upload one set-up picture that closely resembles them in real life onto Meta AI's chatbot, followed by a text prompt that helps the tool generate a new image of the user.
- This feature is optional; users must head to the app's settings to enable/disable it.
WhatsApp Messenger could be exploring a new feature that allows users to create AI-generated images of themselves, powered by Meta AI. According to WABetaInfo, the app's Android 2.24.14.13 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, shows that WhatsApp is working on this fun feature.
This feature requires users to upload one set-up picture that closely resembles them in real life onto Meta AI's chatbot. Then, the user can type in a prompt that matches what they want to see in their image, for instance, imagining themselves in a different setting or background. The tool will then create an AI-powered image specific to the prompt when the user hits on "imagine me."
As seen in the leaked screenshot, the app says users can take photos of themselves once and imagine themselves in any setting, "from the forest to outer space."
This sounds a lot like a feature that YouTube is testing called the "Dream Screen," which uses text-based prompts to generate AI images/videos that can be used as green screen backgrounds for Shorts. It lets people "bring their imagination to life."
The publication states that the user will also be allowed to pull up this feature in any other chat by typing in the command "@Meta AI imagine me," followed by the prompt. The AI image will be processed separately, and the app will automatically share the image message in the conversation, keeping chats with users end-to-end encrypted.
Additionally, it is important to note that this feature remains optional, and users must 'opt-in' to access it. This means users who wish to use this feature need to head to the app's settings to enable it. Keeping privacy in mind, WhatsApp is said to give users full control over the images they share as "set up" photos, as they can delete them at any time through Meta's AI settings.
While this feature is still being tested, it remains unclear which future update will bring this feature to users at large and whether other users can upload pictures that aren't of themselves. Android Central has contacted Whatsapp on this, but they didn't get back to us in time for publication. We will update this article when we have more information.
WhatsApp has been trying to make its platform more creative lately by leveraging the power of AI. However, it is also making a few improvements to its platform that are aimed at video and audio calling experience. Recently, it announced that the app supports "Speaker spotlight," which highlights the person talking and moves them to the front alongside audio during a screen share.
