Meta Platforms Unveils AI Ads Expansion: Automated Image Generation & Text Overlay

tech360.tv
May 9, 2024
2 min read

Meta Platforms is expanding its suite of generative AI ads products to offer tools for creating variations of images and overlaying text. The tool will launch in test form without watermarks, which are currently applied to all images generated by Meta's AI assistant. Meta is investing billions of dollars in building and supporting its generative AI models.

The company aims to offer tools that can automatically create variations of images and overlay text atop them. This move comes as Meta continues to invest billions of dollars in building and supporting its generative AI models.

During a press conference, Meta executives revealed that the new tool will be launched in a test form without the watermarks that are currently applied to all images generated by Meta's user-facing AI assistant. The watermarks have been touted as a key safety feature. John Hegeman, Meta's head of monetisation, mentioned that the company is still working on how labeling will work for ads and will provide guidelines by the time the tool is rolled out globally, which is expected to be towards the end of this year.

Meta's expansion into AI image generation for ads follows a similar move by digital ads giant Google, which announced its own expansion of AI ads tools in February. Google's tools utilise the SynthID watermarking technology developed by its AI research lab, DeepMind, to label the ads created using its platform.

With Meta's image generation tool, advertisers will have the ability to upload images of their products and generate other versions of those images. This can be done by adjusting the products' orientation or showing people using them in different settings. Additionally, Meta is expanding its text-generation offerings for headlines and key selling points, while also allowing the capability to overlay text directly onto the generated images.

In the coming months, Meta plans to introduce an option for advertisers to input text prompts that can be used to tailor the image variations. This will provide advertisers with more control and customisation over their ad creatives.

However, it's worth noting that advertisers in regulated industries like politics will be prohibited from using these generative AI tools, as with earlier tools. While many advertisers have embraced AI ads tools for automating the placement of their campaigns, there has been some hesitation around newer generative AI tools.

Some brands have expressed concerns about how tech companies will utilise the images uploaded by advertisers to improve their AI models. There is a fear that logos or other intellectual property could potentially end up in others' generated images.

Meta Platforms is expanding its suite of generative AI ads products to offer tools for creating variations of images and overlaying text.
The tool will launch in test form without watermarks, which are currently applied to all images generated by Meta's AI assistant.
Meta is investing billions of dollars in building and supporting its generative AI models.

Source: REUTERS