Facebook adds new video tab for Reels and introduces generative AI videos

Tech giant Meta continues to move into the video space, announcing an artificial intelligence-powered video generation and editing tool and a change to Facebook that will make its Reels video content “more outstanding” for users of the social network.

The Facebook tweaks were announced at an event in Austin, Texas on Friday, while details of the AI-generated video tool were published on the Meta AI blog.

The AI ​​tool Meta Movie Gen can create videos up to 16 seconds long based solely on a text prompt. Perhaps more importantly, it also enables video editing and “personalized” video generation, where a specific photo can be taken and integrated into a video.

In the personalized videos, someone could upload a photo of themselves, and the tool can then insert the person into videos. The video editing tool, meanwhile, would allow a user to take a video they recorded and add objects or tweaks to it. One demo showed a penguin walking on ice in Antarctica, with the AI ​​dressing him in a Victorian outfit when prompted.

The tool, based on similar tools from OpenAI (Sora) and RunwayML, among others, is sure to draw Hollywood's attention as studios consider ways to cut costs and some employees wonder whether the technology will ultimately displace them.

In the blog post, Meta attempted to address these concerns by writing, “While there are many exciting use cases for these basic models, it is important to note that generative AI is not a replacement for the work of artists and animators.”

“We share this research because we believe in the power of this technology to help people express themselves in new ways and give people opportunities they might not otherwise have,” it continued. “We hope that perhaps one day in the future everyone will have the opportunity to bring their artistic visions to life and create high-resolution video and audio with Movie Gen.”

Meanwhile, at a Facebook IRL event in Austin, the company announced a series of updates to Messenger, Marketplace, Groups and other Facebook features. This includes AI-generated group comment summaries, new Local and Explore tabs that bring together content from Reels, Marketplace, Groups and Events, and other features.

Of greatest interest to Hollywood, however, will be the new full-screen video tab, “which gives Reels a more prominent home on Facebook.”

The new tab aims to make it easier for Facebook users to find and watch videos across Reels (Facebook's big TikTok competitor), including short-form, long-form and live videos, all powered by Facebook's “our turbo-charged recommendation technology.”

“Young adults on Facebook spend almost 60% of their time on the app watching videos, and more than half of young adults watch Reels every day – so we want to make sure we create a video experience that helps them create valuable “Get tips, advice and recommendations,” Facebook said in a blog post announcing the changes.