TikTok has unveiled AI Alive, its first image-to-video feature that transforms static photos into animated short videos using artificial intelligence. The feature is now available through the platform’s Story Camera, the company announced on May 13.

AI Alive applies atmospheric and motion effects to photos—bringing skies to life, adding drifting clouds, or animating gestures in selfies. The result is a short-form video designed for TikTok Stories, offering a new dimension of creativity for users.

Unlike earlier text-to-image AI tools on the app, this new feature moves beyond still images, giving TikTok a lead over rivals such as Instagram and Snapchat.

All AI-generated content will be labeled and embedded with C2PA metadata, a digital watermark that confirms that the video was AI-created—even if downloaded and shared outside TikTok. The company says content passes through multiple safety checks, including moderation of both the original photo and AI prompts, to prevent policy violations.

“We are always building with safety in mind and the same goes for our AI innovations,” TikTok said in a blog post.

To create an AI Alive video, users can open the Story Camera from their Inbox or Profile page, select a photo and tap the AI Alive icon to animate it.