Snapchat Launches Sponsored AI Lenses in UAE and KSA - Middle East Business News and Information
Sponsored AI Lenses create hyper-stylized images, allowing Snapchatters to transform themselves in imaginative ways
Dubai, UAE, April 2025: Snapchat has launched Sponsored AI Lenses, a new ad format powered by Snap's proprietary Generative AI technology designed to reimagine how brands connect with Snapchatters through immersive and shareable experiences. This new format enables advertisers to place their brand at the center of self-expression by allowing users to transform their appearance and surroundings with AI-generated effects.
Sponsored AI Lenses bring a new layer of creativity to the Camera, turning everyday moments into shareable brand stories. From nostalgic looks to futuristic fashion, the format transforms how Snapchatters express themselves, putting them at the heart of immersive, AI-powered experiences that feel both personal and playful. Built with Snap's proprietary technology, these Lenses unlock new ways for brands to show up in the conversations and creativity happening across our community, giving Snapchatters a platform to express themselves while sharing their favourite brands with friends.
Advertisers are embracing the creative potential of Sponsored AI Lenses. Coldplay, who recently hosted the biggest concert series in UAE history, used Sponsored AI Lenses to launch Moon Music, inviting fans into the band's celestial universe with an immersive, generative lens experience that deepened fan engagement and inspired widespread sharing.
Sponsored AI Lenses enhance creative advertising on Snapchat, putting the platform's GCC users who open the app over 45 times a day at the center of immersive, shareable brand moments. This format enables brands across industries to quickly produce high-quality experiences that drive deeper engagement and brand affinity. In addition to driving deeper engagement, Sponsored AI Lenses streamline the creative process for advertisers, fueling creativity with unique visuals that inspire fresh campaigns that enhance brand storytelling. Snap's proprietary AI eliminates the need for complex 3D or VFX design, enabling AI-generated templates that cut turnaround times to as little as three days for advertisers.
Found in the Lens Carousel, where over 300 million users interact with AR daily, Sponsored AI Lenses also deliver scale, offering up to 25–45% more impressions in a single day. The format is built to deliver full-funnel impact, driving awareness, boosting interaction, and encouraging shares—all from a single, native placement.
As Snapchat continues to push the boundaries of Augmented Reality and AI, Sponsored AI Lenses represent a major step in empowering brands to be part of the creative, expressive, and cultural moments that define the Snapchat experience.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mid East Info
8 hours ago
- Mid East Info
Too much AI control now can be a risky business - Middle East Business News and Information
Tech entrepreneur Rashit Makhat says the human touch is still vital to reach the best decisions Dubai, UAE, 5 June 2025: As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in everyday business in the UAE, what are the dangers of giving it too much control? While AI is dramatically speeding up workflows and delivering big efficiencies, experts are warning that relying on it too heavily, too soon, could backfire. Recent insights show that AI works best as a support tool, not a decision-maker. When businesses let machines steer strategy, hiring, or customer service without human oversight, the risks are real. Tech investor and entrepreneur, Rashit Makhat, is among those urging caution on the grounds that, while AI can crunch data and offer options in seconds, it doesn't yet understand people, context, or consequences. 'In today's business environment, the human touch matters more than ever,' says Makhat, Director and co-founder of UAE tech venture company, Scalo Technologies. 'AI will transform business, make companies faster, smarter, and more efficient, and no-one wants to be left behind. 'But while AI can draft entire business plans in moments, unlike humans, it doesn't think. It doesn't feel. It doesn't understand people. If businesses forget that, they could be heading for trouble'. The idea of machines running entire industries is not new. But what are the consequences, when we take AI out of the lab and into the boardroom? Harvard Business Review watched a series of executive team meetings at an $85 million revenue Austrian company. They found that what makes AI a valuable team member is that it helps execs see more options. And it provides information quickly to speed up decisions. 'AI worked best when guided by humans, supporting but not replacing, decision-making,' said Makhat. 'The best ideas came when the AI prompted executives to think differently. When they did, they made better choices. AI wasn't the leader – it was the assistant.' The experiment can't disguise AI's broader impact on corporate decision-making. Some experts predict it could soon run entire departments, or even whole companies. But problems can occur when people treat AI like it's already in charge. In February, three lawyers in a lawsuit against Walmart were fined $5,000 by a U.S. judge in Wyoming for citing fake cases generated by AI. The judge said they had a duty to check their sources were real. Reuters also reported that over the past two years, more U.S. judges have raised concerns or disciplined lawyers for using AI-generated cases and quotes in court. 'The most successful companies aren't those that rush to adopt every new technology,' says Makhat. 'They're the ones that mix innovation with human intelligence. Startups, in particular, must be extra careful. AI should sharpen human judgment, not take its place.' Ends
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Egypt Independent
Google's DeepMind CEO has two worries when it comes to AI. Losing jobs isn't one of them
CNN — Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's AI research arm DeepMind and a Nobel Prize laureate, isn't too worried about an AI Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's AI research arm DeepMind and a Nobel Prize laureate, isn't too worried about an AI 'jobpocalypse.' Instead of fretting over AI replacing jobs, he's worried about the technology falling into the wrong hands – and a lack of guardrails to keep sophisticated, autonomous AI models under control. 'Both of those risks are important, challenging ones,' he said in an interview with CNN's Anna Stewart at the SXSW festival in London, which takes place this week. Last week, the CEO of high-profile AI lab Anthropic had a stark warning about the future of the job landscape, claiming that AI could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs. But Hassabis said he's most concerned about the potential misuse of what AI developers call 'artificial general intelligence,' a theoretical type of AI that would broadly match human-level intelligence. 'A bad actor could repurpose those same technologies for a harmful end,' he said. 'And so one big thing is… how do we restrict access to these systems, powerful systems to bad actors…but enable good actors to do many, many amazing things with it?' Hackers have used AI to generate voice messages impersonating US government officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a May public advisory. A report commissioned by the US State Department last year found that AI could pose 'catastrophic' national security risks, CNN reported. AI has also facilitated the creation of deepfake pornography — though the Take It Down Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month, aims to stop the proliferation of these deepfakes by making it illegal to share nonconsensual explicit images online. Hassabis isn't the first to call out such concerns. But his comments further underscore both the promise of AI and the alarm that it brings as the technology gets better at handling complex tasks like writing code and generating video clips. While AI has been heralded as one of the biggest technological advancements since the internet, it also gives scammers and other malicious actors more tools than ever before. And it's rapidly advancing without much regulation as the United States and China race to establish dominance in the field. Google removed language from its AI ethics policy website in February, pledging not to use AI for weapons and surveillance. Hassabis believes there should be an international agreement on the fundamentals of how AI should be utilized and how to ensure the technology is only used 'for the good use cases.' 'Obviously, it's looking difficult at present day with the geopolitics as it is,' he said. 'But, you know, I hope that as things will improve, and as AI becomes more sophisticated, I think it'll become more clear to the world that that needs to happen.' The DeepMind CEO also believes we're headed toward a future in which people use AI 'agents' to execute tasks on their behalf, a vision Google is working towards by integrating more AI into its search function and developing AI-powered smart glasses. 'We sometimes call it a universal AI assistant that will go around with you everywhere, help you in your everyday life, do mundane admin tasks for you, but also enrich your life by recommending you amazing things, from books and films to maybe even friends to meet,' he said. New AI models are showing progress in areas like video generation and coding, adding to fears that the technology could eliminate jobs. 'AI is starting to get better than humans at almost all intellectual tasks, and we're going to collectively, as a society, grapple with it,' Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told CNN just after telling Axios that AI could axe entry-level jobs. In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he expects AI to write half the company's code by 2026. However, an AI-focused future is closer to promise than reality. AI is still prone to shortcomings like bias and hallucinations, which have sparked a handful of high-profile mishaps for the companies using the technology. The Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, published an AI-generated summer reading list including nonexistent books last month. While Hassabis says AI will change the workforce, he doesn't believe AI will render jobs obsolete. Like some others in the AI space, he believes the technology could result in new types of jobs and increase productivity. But he also acknowledged that society will likely have to adapt and find some way of 'distributing all the additional productivity that AI will produce in the economy.' He compared AI to the rise of other technological changes, like the internet. 'There's going to be a huge amount of change,' he said. 'Usually what happens is new, even better jobs arrive to take the place of some of the jobs that get replaced. We'll see if that happens this time.'
CairoScene
2 days ago
- CairoScene
Arab Fund & Shorooq Partners to Expand SME Credit Access Across MENA
The new partnership aims to unlock non-dilutive capital for startups through structured debt. Jun 04, 2025 A new strategic investment by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development's Badir Fund into Shorooq Partners' Nahda Fund II is set to enhance access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups across the MENA region. The partnership aims to fill lending gaps by providing flexible, non-dilutive financing options for early-stage companies, especially those unable to meet conventional banking criteria. Nahda Fund II—regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority at Abu Dhabi Global Market—offers structured debt solutions specifically designed for tech-enabled businesses. It supports companies with recurring revenue streams and clear paths to profitability, offering venture debt as an alternative to equity-based fundraising. This model allows startups to scale without giving up ownership, easing capital constraints during their growth stages. By investing in the fund, the Badir Fund is deepening its commitment to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion in the region. Since 2009, it has disbursed over $1.5 billion in loans and $3.5 million in grants to support job creation and private-sector development. The new collaboration will target sectors such as fintech, logistics, e-commerce, and AI-powered services—areas where demand for working capital often outpaces supply from banks. Shorooq has already backed high-growth regional startups through this model, including Pakistan-based fintech Abhi, which raised $15 million to expand its earned wage access offering, and The Box, a UAE self-storage startup that secured $12.5 million to support regional expansion.
