Tiktok just added AI-powered image to video feature and it did something weird for my cat
Tiktok hasn’t pushed generated AI capabilities into every corner of its app like Meta did with Instagram, but the company still tried it in some interesting ways (if it is). Now, Tiktok has launched a new AI-driven feature that feels more worthy of memes. It is called, and it allows users to create short stylized video clips from static images.
Currently, the feature is only available for Tiktok’s story features, so it has more ephemeral sharing than what you normally post on the app. You start with a still image story (accessed from the app’s inbox) and select the new “AI Alive” option, which prompts you to “make this photo alive”. Tiktok will surface tips for suggestions, but you can also suggest your own.
You can see the functions in the action in the video below. In all three cases, I started with the image of the cat standing on the railing and used the tips suggested by Tiktok. The first is to “take this to life as anime”, the second is to let him “walk carefully” along the railings, and the last is to “style like a retro game.”
As you can see in the clip, the results are a bit mixed. The anime-style effect is somewhat creepy, erasing my cat’s tabby stripes, though I think it’s more or less consistent with the prompts. The second animation also looks a bit strange: there are many AI artifacts, and my cat’s tail and claws look unnatural. However, the final “retro game” style editing is confusing. Why does Tiktok’s AI determine that my cat should hold two ridiculous wine glasses? About it didn’t evoke any video games I’ve played.
Still, like many generated AI features, it’s an interesting novelty, and I can see Tiktok users having a lot of fun in their own (possibly weird, maybe weird creations).
