You can generate AI selfies with Meta’s new Imagine Me feature | TechCrunch

Introduction

Do you recall the wave of creativity that swept social media last year with the rapid rise of various AI applications? You know, the ones where you could upload photos of yourself and let the AI transform you into a whimsical fairy princess, a beautifully illustrated cartoon character, or even a futuristic space explorer? Well, Meta is the latest company to jump on this trend with its new Imagine Me feature, which utilizes the recently unveiled flagship Llama 3.1 405b model. According to Meta, this new model is designed to be more sophisticated than its predecessors.

However, the reception of Meta’s AI has not always been positive. Oftentimes, when trying to search for something on Instagram, users end up unwittingly engaging with Meta AI, resulting in unsolicited and irrelevant information. Nonetheless, with the Imagine Me feature, it seems that Meta may have struck a chord with something genuinely useful. Unlike some previous viral apps, the features offered by Meta AI are free.

For context, take Lenza AI, which gained immense popularity for its Magic Avatars feature, racking up nearly 13 million downloads in just 11 days when it exploded onto the scene in December 2022. This sparked a trend in which various AI avatar applications dominated the iOS app store charts. However, these apps also raised pressing privacy concerns. When users upload multiple photos for the AI to work with—say, if they want to be transformed into an astronaut—questions arise about the fate of those images. Do they remain on the device? Or are they sent to a cloud server? What happens to them afterward?

While these privacy concerns are also relevant for Meta, there is a notable twist: the company likely already possesses extensive archives of user images, including those from users' middle school days. Once you’ve engaged with social media platforms, that ship has likely sailed regarding data privacy. Additionally, Meta has been known to train its AI models on public posts made by users without their explicit consent—unless you happen to reside in Europe, where stringent data privacy laws offer some protective measures.

In a light-hearted Instagram reel, Mark Zuckerberg himself announced the new feature, demonstrating how Meta AI can creatively transform his image into various personas, like a gladiator, a boy band member, or a streetwear designer based in Los Angeles. Although skepticism remains about how these AI models operate regarding user consent and privacy, many users are curious to see what imaginative interpretations Meta could conjure for them. Unfortunately, for now, the Imagine Me feature is only available in beta testing, leaving eager users awaiting their chance to find out how they might look as action movie heroes.

Keyword

• Meta
• Imagine Me feature
• AI selfies
• Llama 3.1 405b model
• Social media
• Privacy concerns
• Lenza AI
• Magic Avatars
• Data privacy laws

FAQ

What is the Imagine Me feature by Meta?
The Imagine Me feature allows users to upload photos and lets the AI transform them into various imaginative personas using the Llama 3.1 405b model.

Is the Imagine Me feature free?
Yes, the Imagine Me feature from Meta is available for free.

What are the privacy concerns associated with AI avatar applications?
Privacy concerns include questions about where uploaded images go, whether they are stored on-device or sent to cloud servers, and how those images are used afterward.

Why is data privacy more of a concern in regions outside of Europe?
This is primarily because Europe has comprehensive data privacy laws that protect users' data, whereas other regions may lack similar protections.

When will the Imagine Me feature be widely available?
As of now, the Imagine Me feature is in beta testing, and a specific release date for broader availability has yet to be announced.