Snapchat is introducing Sponsored AI Lenses, a new ad format that lets brands engage with consumers in an immersive way. While Snapchat has offered brands the opportunity to pay for sponsored lenses on the platform for years, now they can leverage AI-generated experiences powered by Snap’s proprietary generative AI technology.
With these interactive lenses, brands can reach and engage users in a more fun and interactive way when compared to traditional ads, as they allow users to take selfies to see themselves transported into different AI-generated scenes.
When users take a selfie for an AI Lens, Snap analyzes their face to integrate them into an AI-generated scene, the company told TechCrunch in an email. The AI Lens uses a preset prompt and pose to create immersive transformations, providing up to 10 different experiences within one Lens.
“Over the past two years, we’ve refined our generative AI technology to make high-quality creative execution fast and efficient,” the company said in a blog post. “Sponsored AI Lenses eliminate the need for 3D and VFX design, replacing them with AI-generated templates that can help cut production timelines.”
Brands that have already used the new ad format include Tinder and Uber. Tinder’s ad allowed users to generate a personalized image of themselves with the caption “My 2025 Dating Vibe,” and Uber’s let users do the same, but with a Thanksgiving twist.
Snap found that users spent more time engaging with Sponsored AI Lenses compared to standard Lenses, as both Uber and Tinder saw higher than average playtimes while using the new AI creative format.
The launch marks the latest way that Snap is exploring with generative AI and integrating the technology into its platform. Last month, the company introduced its first-ever video generative AI Lenses. In February, Snap unveiled an AI text-to-image research model for mobile devices that will power some of Snapchat’s features in the coming month.