DirecTV will start replacing screensavers with AI-generated ads next year

DirecTV will start replacing your TV’s screensaver with AI-generated ads thanks to a new partnership. The entertainment brand is working with Glance, an AI company that has received backing from Google and developed an on-device AI tool alongside the tech giant. The new AI-powered screensavers will begin rolling out to DirecTV Gemini devices early next year.

Glance press release About the deal showcases the power of technology in lofty language: “Shop smarter by discovering and interacting with products and brands in an AI-driven, visually immersive virtual shopping experience that looks native to TV.” However, in practice, it appears that the viewer can use the Glance mobile app to do things like insert themselves or other people into the AI-generated videos that appear on their TVs. They can then use a voice remote to change a person’s wardrobe and then purchase items similar to the AI-generated images from your phone.

“We are making TV a simple experience rather than a simple experience,” said Rajat Wanchu, Glance Group Vice President of Business Partnerships. Edgewhich initially picked up news of the partnership. “We want to give users an opportunity to use advances in generative AI to create a ChatGPT moment for themselves, but on a TV screen.”

It’s not clear how many DirecTV customers would like to have a ChatGPT moment for themselves, but questions about whether people want or need the feature haven’t stopped most AI companies from moving forward with business plans. The press release doesn’t indicate whether viewers will be able to turn off this screensaver feature once it’s live.