Meta on Tuesday rolled out a set of AI-powered creative tools on Facebook, including animated profile pictures, AI “Restyle” effects for Stories and Memories, and animated backgrounds for text posts. The features, powered by Meta AI, are designed to make it easier for users to personalize photos and posts directly within the app.
The most visible update allows users to turn a static profile photo into a short animation. With a few taps, a still image can be transformed using preset effects such as a wave, heart gesture, confetti, party hat, or a more natural motion style. Meta recommends using a clear image of a single person facing the camera for best results. Users can animate photos from their camera roll or existing Facebook uploads, and the company said additional animation options will be introduced throughout the year.
Facebook is also expanding its AI-driven editing tools inside Stories and Memories through a feature called Restyle. After uploading a photo or selecting a resurfaced Memory, users can apply preset visual themes — including anime, illustrated, glowy, or ethereal — or enter a text prompt to adjust lighting, color tones, mood, or backgrounds such as beaches or cityscapes. Meta said it will also begin recommending Memories that can be enhanced with Restyle directly in Stories.
For text posts, the platform is gradually introducing animated backdrops accessible through a rainbow “A” icon. Users can choose from still or animated scenes like falling leaves or ocean waves, with seasonal options planned for later releases.
With roughly 2.1 billion daily active users, Facebook remains one of the world’s largest social networks. But in recent years, the platform has faced challenges attracting and retaining younger users. The new AI features follow other recent changes aimed at refreshing the app’s appeal, including a friends-only feed, customizable display names in Groups, and a renewed push around its poke feature.
Unlike standalone AI tools, these updates embed generative capabilities directly into familiar social interactions. Rather than launching a separate AI product, Meta is integrating animation and image restyling into everyday posting behavior — profile updates, Stories, and feed posts — where users are already active.
The rollout reflects Meta’s broader strategy of weaving AI tools into its core social products, using automation and generative effects to encourage content creation and engagement. As competition intensifies among platforms experimenting with creative AI features, Facebook’s latest updates signal that expressive visual tools are becoming a standard part of the social media toolkit rather than a niche add-on.
For users, the changes are straightforward: more ways to customize photos and posts without leaving the app. For Meta, the move underscores its continued effort to keep Facebook culturally relevant — particularly among younger audiences — by layering AI-driven creativity into the platform’s most familiar features.
This analysis is based on reporting from The Verge.
Images courtesy of Facebook.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
