WhatsApp working on implementing AI-powered image editing tools

WhatsApp is reportedly working on introducing some new features that leverage artificial intelligence to edit images. These tools were first hinted at in September and have now been discovered within the platform's latest beta version for Android.

The tools were discovered during a code deep dive by @AssembleDebug of TheSPAndroid in version 2.24.7.13 of the WhatsApp Android beta app, revealing a variety of advanced editing options for users to enhance their photos with ease. These are not yet available to users but were enabled with some code tweaking. Among them are:

• Backdrop: AI will generate your ideal background based on what you describe and replace it for you.
• Restyle: Adds a splash of artistic flair to your images by applying AI-generated filters and styles.
• Expand: This feature is believed to seamlessly extend your image's background, intelligently filling in the gaps.

These tools will reportedly coexist with well-known features like cropping and stickers in WhatsApp's current image editor under the "sparkle" icon.

This news follows Meta's (WhatsApp's parent company) announcements of similar AI editing features for Instagram and Facebook. WhatsApp following those footsteps signals the company's intention to bring these advanced tools to all of its user base across the apps currently under the Meta umbrella.

It's worth noting that similar AI-driven features, like background expansion, already exist in established tools like Adobe Photoshop. However, while these existing competing products offer these tools, they are definitely far from perfect, although they have been getting better and better as time progresses and the technology becomes more advanced. This puts pressure on WhatsApp to deliver an intuitive and impressive user experience in order to stand out.

It seems these features are still in the early development phase and might not show up for some time in the stable version of the app. This means we will have to wait a bit longer to see exactly how AI will play a part in how users edit and share photos on WhatsApp.