The anime AI that has gone viral on TikTok is called Anime VTube Studio. It is an AI avatar generator that allows users to create animated anime avatars of themselves which can be used in videos on TikTok. The AI uses selfies uploaded by users to generate a custom anime doppelganger by analyzing facial features and mapping them onto a 2D anime character model. This highly customizable AI lets users tweak parameters like hair style and color, eyes, outfit, and more to create a unique anime avatar. Since launching in 2022, Anime VTube Studio has exploded in popularity on TikTok under the hashtag #animeai which has over 3 billion views. The cartoon-like videos featuring the AI avatars dancing, lipsyncing, and more have become a huge TikTok trend.
History
The anime AI filter on TikTok, called Animegan, was first launched in July 2022. It was created by a startup called Unmesh, which is based in Japan and specializes in AI for anime content creation. Unmesh worked with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to integrate the filter into TikTok and make it available globally.
The Animegan filter allows users to transform themselves into anime characters, creating short videos with an animated art style. After choosing a background, users can see their selfies and videos converted into a manga or anime aesthetic. The filter smoothes skin, enlarges eyes, and automatically applies colorful graphics and effects.
Since the initial launch in July 2022, the anime AI filter has become hugely popular on TikTok, with the #animefilter hashtag garnering over 800 million views. Many TikTok users embraced the filter as a fun way to transform their appearance and make entertaining videos.
Technology
The AI anime filter on TikTok uses deep learning and neural networks to transform images and videos into an anime art style. The filter analyzes facial features and applies an anime-inspired look, with large eyes, colorful hair, and smoothed skin.[1]
Specifically, the AI anime filter likely uses a generative adversarial network (GAN). This involves training two neural networks against each other to generate new, synthetic anime images that closely match the original input image.[2]
The generator network creates an anime image based on the input, while the discriminator network tries to detect differences between the generated image and real anime art. Through this adversarial training process, the generator learns to create increasingly realistic and anime-like images.[3]
By leveraging deep neural networks and GANs, the AI anime filter can stylize videos in real-time, transforming users into anime characters with just a single click. The technology allows for highly customized outputs while retaining a user’s core facial features and expressions.
[1] https://www.alphr.com/tiktok-ai-manga-filter/
[2] https://www.videoproc.com/video-editor/ai-anime-filter-tiktok.htm
[3] https://www.inverse.com/gear/how-to-use-tiktok-ai-effects-manga-character
Capabilities
The Anime AI on TikTok utilizes deep learning technology to generate anime-style images and videos from regular photos or videos. Some key capabilities of the AI include:
- Transforming human faces into anime characters in real-time (https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/how-to-get-anime-ai-filter-on-tiktok-2002944/)
- Generating an anime scene and background from an uploaded photo or video (https://www.sportskeeda.com/anime/how-get-anime-ai-filter-tiktok-explained)
- Allowing users to become anime characters and place themselves into an AI-generated anime world
- Producing anime avatars that mimic the movements and facial expressions of the user
- Creating an interactive anime experience by responding to the original video in real-time
In summary, the AI can transform regular photos and videos into animated anime content, with customized characters, scenes, and interactivity.
Creator
The anime AI on TikTok was created by Anthropic, an AI safety startup based in San Francisco. Anthropic built the Claude AI system that powers the viral anime filter on TikTok through a partnership with the social media platform.
Specifically, Anthropic’s co-founder Dario Amodei led the development of Claude. Amodei has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford and previously worked at OpenAI, where he focused on AI safety research and led development of the GPT-2 and DALL-E models.
While Anthropic created the core AI technology, TikTok worked closely with the startup to customize and implement Claude for their video-sharing app. The partnership enabled TikTok to release the anime AI filter in January 2023, which quickly went viral among users.
In a statement, TikTok said “We’re excited about this partnership with Anthropic and the promise of their Claude AI system to open up new creative possibilities for our users.” The anime face filter represents an early preview of Claude’s capabilities on TikTok’s platform.
Viral popularity
The AI anime filter went viral on TikTok in November 2022, with users fascinated by the filter’s ability to transform their faces into anime characters. According to Dexerto, the filter became a huge trend after TikTok user @chip.chan posted a video showing off the effect. In just a few days, their video gained over 5 million views and kickstarted the viral spread of the filter across TikTok.
There are a few key reasons why the AI anime filter blew up in popularity:
- Novelty – The filter provided a new and novel way for users to transform themselves into anime characters. This sparked interest and intrigue among TikTokers.
- Pop culture relevance – Anime and manga have become hugely popular globally, especially among younger internet users. The filter tapped into this interest.
- Creative potential – The filter opened up possibilities for users to roleplay as anime characters, tell stories, and express their creativity.
- Shareability – The converted anime results were highly shareable, as users were amazed by the filter’s effects and wanted to show off their anime doppelgängers.
As the filter spread, more and more influencers and creators started making videos with it. This further amplified the trend and made it go increasingly viral across TikTok and other social media.
User Response
The anime AI on TikTok, referred to as the ‘anime filter’, has received a very enthusiastic response from users. Many videos using the filter have gone viral, with some receiving over 2 million likes. Users seem captivated by the AI’s ability to transform their appearance into that of an anime character while lip syncing to audio. Some popular trends include using the filter to roleplay as anime characters or participate in meme trends.
Most users express amazement at how realistic the filter makes them look as an anime character. The wide eyes, colorful hair, and added effects like sparkles seem to delight TikTokers. However, some point out flaws like distorted facial features or blurriness. Overall, the playful anime persona the filter creates resonates strongly with TikTok’s young audiences, making it one of the app’s most popular effects.
Sources:
https://www.tiktok.com/@cliftondean/video/7188630272697470250
Ethical concerns
There are some ethical concerns that have been raised regarding deepfake AI like the TikTok anime filter. One major issue is the potential for misuse if the technology falls into the wrong hands. As this TikTok video discusses, deepfakes raise concerns related to bias, privacy, transparency, autonomy and employment.
Deepfakes can be used to spread misinformation or manipulate media in a deceitful way. The ability to generate realistic fake videos and images of people opens the door to potential defamation, blackmail, politically-motivated propaganda, and more. According to this TikTok, regulations and guidelines may be needed to prevent harmful uses of this technology.
There are also concerns about how deepfake technology may negatively impact artists and content creators. As discussed in this article, AI art generators could threaten jobs, artistic ownership and authenticity. More transparency and human oversight may be required to ensure AI is used ethically and legally.
Future implications
The anime AI on TikTok, generated by the “future effect” by Anthropic, could have a significant impact on entertainment and media in the future. As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated and accessible, it may disrupt many creative industries that rely on human talent. For example, AI like this could be used to automatically generate music, films, shows, and other content tailored to individual users’ interests and preferences.
Some speculate this could greatly reduce production costs in the entertainment industry while allowing for limitless personalized content creation. However, it also raises concerns about the viability of human creatives’ careers and questions of originality and ethics if AI generated content becomes mainstream. The anime AI sensation illustrates how quickly these technologies can capture public fascination. As they continue advancing rapidly, media companies and content creators may need to adapt to an environment where AI-generated media competes for consumers’ attention.
Sources:
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/ai-generated-future-effect
Conclusion
In conclusion, the viral anime AI chatbot on TikTok has captivated users with its ability to have natural conversations, tell jokes, and even flirt. While some find it entertaining, others have raised concerns about the implications of Anthropic creating such a sophisticated AI assistant focused on building emotional rapport with users. Regardless, this anime girl demonstrates rapid advancements in conversational AI and hints at a future where we may interact regularly with AI companions. The popularity of the chatbot shows people’s fascination with AI, both its capabilities and limitations. As AI like this anime girl becomes more advanced, we must continue discussions around ethics and responsible AI development. But for now, she provides an intriguing glimpse into the future possibilities of artificial intelligence.
