TikTok Integrating More AI Tools with New Digital Avatars

TikTok's new AI-Moji feature is an integration that allows users to scan their face to create a cartoonish avatar. These avatars can be used as stickers within the app to react to Stories, messages, and in chats. The process involves tapping the 'Get Started' prompt and scanning your face to generate a digital character representation of yourself.

To create your own AI-Moji in TikTok, you need to follow these steps:

1. Wait for the 'Get Started' prompt to appear in the app.
2. Tap on the prompt.
3. Go through the process of scanning your face.
4. After scanning, the app will generate a digital character, which you can then use as an avatar in various forms of expression within the app.

TikTok's AI-Moji seems to be similar to other avatar stickers such as those offered by Meta on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as well as Snap's Bitmoji. The article suggests that the 'AI' aspect might simply be a reference to the trending technology, without significant differences from these existing options. TikTok had also previously released 3D avatars in 2022, which are noted to be pretty similar to the new AI-Moji.

TikTok has been working on various AI integrations, including:

• A chatbot
• Search tools
• Music generation
• Profile picture options

Additionally, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is experimenting with a text-to-video translation project called 'MagicVideo'. This indicates a trend towards more AI-generated content in the app.

The author maintains that AI-generated content is not really 'social' and may not be conducive to what makes apps like TikTok entertaining, at least at this stage. They suggest that while AI is a current trend and apps are trying to stay on top of it to maintain relevance, it may not yet be a transformative element of the social media experience. The author implies that the human element and organic interaction are key to the entertainment value of social apps like TikTok.