(Oct 9): Meta Platforms Inc is rolling out new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help advertisers create and edit videos more easily, seeking to reach Facebook and Instagram users who are spending more time watching videos.

The new features, which will be available broadly next year, will let advertisers use generative AI to turn static images into video ads, the company announced on Tuesday. Marketers will also be able to edit and adjust the size of video ads automatically.

Meta has been steadily launching new AI tools for advertisers. The company already helps marketers automatically create text and images that can appear in ads, and has long used AI to help brands find and target their ideal customers. Last month, advertisers created more than 15 million ads using Meta’s generative AI tools, the company said.

The social media giant has been pushing heavily into video, as it seeks to increase the amount of time people spend on its Facebook and Instagram apps, which, in turn, lets the company show more ads.

As part of those efforts, Meta is adding a new video feed to its Facebook app that will allow users to watch videos in full-screen mode. The new feed will combine short-form videos called Reels, livestream content and longer-form videos.

Meta last week unveiled a new AI tool for generating and editing videos from a text prompt, which is designed to help users post more video content to its sites. Facebook and Instagram users now spend 60% of their time on the apps watching video content, the company said.

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