Excited about AI's role in image, video creation than chatbots: Snap's Evan Spiegel

Snap Inc. co-founder Evan Spiegel (left) and Snap Inc. Asia Pacific president Ajit Mohan.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping reduce the barrier to creativity for developers and creators, Snap Inc. co-founder Evan Spiegel said on November 6.

"One of the things that we found early on with augmented reality (AR) was it's very hard to generate 3D assets, and takes a long period of time to build all those 3D assets. So how can we use AI to actually reduce the barrier of creation for those 3D assets," Spiegel said during a conversation with Snap Inc. Asia Pacific president Ajit Mohan at a company event held in Mumbai.

Spiegel said that the company has been making significant investments in AI to simplify the process of creating 3D images and developing more immersive AR lenses for creators.

The Snap Inc. co-founder also expressed greater enthusiasm for the role AI will play in image and video creation, as opposed to its limited application in AI chatbots.

"I think all of us have a vision in our minds for what we want to create. But oftentimes, the tools just aren't sophisticated enough for us to be able to make the image, video, or the AR experience. I think AI will help reduce the distance between what's in your imagination, and what you can create on your phone or glasses," he said.

"While I think chatbots are going to be an important way for people to use or play with AI models, and to interact with AI, I am more excited for what AI can do for self-expression, and creativity, for camera, and with augmented reality," he said.

Over the years, India has emerged as a key market for Snapchat's future growth. The ephemeral application currently has over 200 million users in the country.

The company's creator community in India has grown by 60 percent since 2022, executives said at the event.

"There's a huge room of young people in India who are creating India's future right now and I think augmented reality is going to be a key part of that," Spiegel said.

Giving people augmented reality experiences to express themselves and to help people learn about the world is a huge opportunity, he said.