Instagram Unveils GenAI-Powered Background Editing Tool for Stunning Visuals

Instagram has launched a new generative AI-enhanced background editing tool for users in the U.S., announced on Wednesday. Ahmad Al-Dahle, Meta's lead for generative AI, shared the news on Threads, highlighting that this innovative feature enables users to transform the backgrounds of their images with exciting prompts for Stories.

When users click on the background editor icon, they'll find ready-made prompts such as "On a red carpet," "Being chased by dinosaurs," and "Surrounded by puppies." Additionally, users can create their own custom prompts to personalize their backgrounds further. Once a user shares a Story featuring the newly crafted background, a “Try it” sticker appears with the prompt, encouraging others to explore and enjoy the image generation tool themselves.

Currently, Instagram’s AI-powered background editor is exclusively available to U.S. users, providing a fresh way to engage with their Stories.

Earlier this week, Snapchat introduced a new feature for its paying subscribers that allows them to create and send AI-generated images. In August, Snapchat launched "Dreams," enabling users to craft whimsical images of themselves in various themes. Additionally, this year, Snapchat+ users gained the capability to use prompt-based backgrounds.

Additionally, earlier this month, Meta revealed its 28 AI-powered characters across all its platforms, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, for U.S. users. This update also introduced enhanced support for Bing search and improved context navigation. Moreover, Meta unveiled a standalone AI-image generator called Imagine with Meta, powered by their proprietary Emu model.