Meta on Wednesday gave a sneak peek at new features coming to its video-editing app Edits during an invite-only creator event in Los Angeles. The preview included an AI assistant and a desktop version of the previously mobile-only app. The company also said other tools launching in the app today include a “Beta” tab for testing experiments and more detailed audience insights. Edits launched last year as a direct rival to ByteDance’s CapCut. By introducing new and upcoming tools, Meta aims to both keep existing users and draw in new ones. The forthcoming AI assistant will enable creators to examine their analytics and generate fresh content ideas. The assistant will leverage the user’s Instagram analytics, such as views and video-retention insights, to identify which content is performing well and understand the reasons behind its success. It will recommend video concepts based on past performance and encourage the use of trending audio. By embedding an AI assistant right into Edits, Meta hopes to keep creators active on Instagram as it battles TikTok and YouTube for their time and attention. In addition, by suggesting content ideas to creators, Meta is promoting more regular posting, which may ultimately increase user engagement. Direct access to an AI assistant eliminates the need for creators to rely on external tools like ChatGPT for brainstorming content ideas or analyzing performance. Meta introduced a comparable AI assistant for creators on Facebook last week. It’s also worth pointing out that YouTube and TikTok provide creators with built-in tools to assist with idea generation. For example, YouTube Studio’s Inspiration tab leverages AI to help creators brainstorm video concepts, while TikTok provides an AI assistant that can generate ideas and identify emerging trends. The desktop version of Edits will offer creators greater precision in the editing process and the convenience of working on a larger screen, making it especially useful for complex editing tasks.
