TikTok Tests New Generative AI Profile Images as it Moves to Align with the AI Trend

TikTok’s looking to integrate its own set of generative AI tools, with a new profile image generator currently in testing at the app.

As you can see in these examples, shared by social media expert Matt Navarra, TikTok is developing a new process that would enable you to create your own custom AI-generated profile images in-stream.

TikTok’s generative avatar process requires users to upload between 3 and 10 photos of themselves, from which TikTok’s system can then generate a range of variations and styles of avatar image.

The process walks you through how to upload your selfie images, including notes on how TikTok will use, and delete, any pictures that you send it.

One particularly interesting note within this text is the reference to ‘Plus’, which as Navarra notes, could be a coming subscription offering from TikTok, along the same lines as Snapchat+.

It’s not clear as yet that this is where TikTok is headed, but it could be another revenue pathway for the app, if, like Snapchat, it can get its add-on offerings right, and provide functional tools like this that users will pay for.

Because, in this case, many TikTok users are probably already paying for similar generative AI tools, with various apps emerging in recent months which provide custom profile images like this. That seems like an easy market segment for TikTok to hone in on, which could also enable it to kick off its own AI ambitions and processes within the app.

Given the popularity of generative AI right now, led by tools like ChatGPT, every social media platform is looking at how they can incorporate such into their features, with LinkedIn and Snapchat already providing assistive elements built on OpenAI’s tools. Meta is also, reportedly, enamored with the potential of generative AI tools, while Twitter’s developing its own ChatGPT like system, overseen by chief Elon Musk.

TikTok already incorporates generative AI elements within its Effects House tools, while parent company ByteDance is experimenting with text-to-video translation with its ‘MagicVideo’ project.

Given the work already underway at the company, it’s no surprise to see TikTok merging generative AI elements into the app, but it’ll be interesting to see if this is, in fact, part of a larger subscription offering, and if so, what other AI tools it could introduce in that package.

There’s no word from TikTok on a release date for its generative AI tools, but they do look close to public testing.