Snap, a pioneer in merging augmented reality (AR) with social media, is now integrating generative AI into its AR offerings. This announcement was made at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, California, signalling a significant shift in the future of AR and VR technologies as AI becomes the buzzword of 2024.

The new generative AI features will enhance Snap's phone app by enabling real-time AR experiences and will also be incorporated into developer tools to streamline the creation of new AR effects. This integration of generative AI represents a major step forward in AR technology, suggesting a broader trend towards incorporating AI in future apps and wearable devices.

Snapchat has previously included generative AI in its app with the introduction of an AI chatbot last year. However, the new capability to create 3D effects on the fly using generative AI models marks a novel development. The promise of conjuring up ideas on the fly raises questions about the range of expressiveness in Snap's generative AI image creation tools. It also raises questions about how current AR lens developers—of which there are over 350,000, according to Snap—will be affected by these new creative tools.

One notable example of these new AI tools in action is Paige Piskin's Zombie Girl Comic Lens, showcasing the creative possibilities Snap's generative AI can offer.

The real-time nature of these generative AI AR effects is particularly noteworthy. Typically, creating generative AI effects involves some wait time, but Snap aims to make this process feel instantaneous and spontaneous.

Snap's advancements in AR contrast with other tech giants. Apple's Vision Pro will not feature its generative AI tools until later this year, and Meta's Ray-Ban glasses use generative AI for chats and photo analysis but not for AR effects in their VR headsets.

Currently, Snap's AR technology is phone-based, utilizing cameras to add real-time effects on phone screens. However, the company has been developing its own AR glasses for years, hinting at possible future ventures into mixed reality VR headsets.

Snap's foray into real-time generative AI for AR effects places it at the forefront of this technological evolution, promising exciting developments for the future of AR and VR.