TikTok AI Alive: How to Turn a Photo Into a Story Video
TikTok AI Alive animates a still photo: you add a picture, type a prompt or keep TikTok’s default, and TikTok turns it into a video you can post to your Story. TikTok says a video may take about a minute to generate, and AI Alive stories carry an AI-generated label.
AI Alive, which some people search for as “Alive AI”, is a feature inside the TikTok app, not a separate app. It’s one of the creation tools in our guide to using TikTok.
Table of Contents
- What is TikTok AI Alive?
- How do you use AI Alive on TikTok?
- How long does AI Alive take, and where do drafts go?
- Does AI Alive add an AI-generated label?
- Can you use AI Alive on regular posts?
- Why can’t I find AI Alive?
- What can’t you make with TikTok’s AI tools?
- Does Outfeed AI have AI Alive?
- TikTok AI Alive FAQ
What is TikTok AI Alive?
It’s TikTok’s photo-to-video tool for Stories. In TikTok’s words, AI Alive “lets you turn your pictures into videos using text prompts”, and you can upload the result to your Story. TikTok introduced it on 13 May 2025 as its first image-to-video feature.
| Detail | What TikTok says |
|---|---|
| You start with | A photo you take or upload, plus your own text prompt or TikTok’s default one |
| You get | A video to post to your Story |
| Where it lives | The Story camera |
| How you get there | Tap your profile photo: on your Profile, in your inbox, or on the For You or Following feed |
| Generation time | May take about one minute |
| Drafts | In your drafts or notifications; they expire after 7 days |
| Label | An AI-generated label, plus embedded C2PA metadata |
| Safety checks | The photo, the prompt and the video are moderated before posting |
Checked against TikTok Help Center: AI Alive.
Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing AI Alive (13 May 2025).
How do you use AI Alive on TikTok?
Tap your profile photo, take or upload a photo, tap AI Alive on the side panel, then enter a prompt or keep the default and tap Continue. When the video is ready, post it with Your Story. TikTok’s steps:
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- Tap your profile photo. You can also tap your profile photo from your inbox or from the For You and Following feed.
- Take a photo or tap the Upload button to add a photo from your device.
- Tap the AI Alive button on the side panel.
- Enter a text prompt or select the default one, then tap the Continue button. If it's your first time using AI Alive, you'll need to grant the app access to generate your video.
- Tap Your Story to upload the video to your Story. You can also tap the AI Alive button on the side panel to regenerate your video with a new prompt or turn AI Alive off with the Apply AI Alive setting. To cancel, tap the AI Alive button, then tap Stop generating.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: AI Alive.
How long does AI Alive take, and where do drafts go?
About a minute, by TikTok’s estimate. Videos that are still generating, and finished ones, show up in your drafts or your notifications. TikTok says AI Alive drafts expire after 7 days, so post the ones you want within a week. Checked against TikTok Help Center: AI Alive
Does AI Alive add an AI-generated label?
Yes. TikTok’s launch post says AI Alive stories “will have an AI-generated label to bring transparency to how the content was created, and have C2PA metadata embedded”. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing AI Alive (13 May 2025)
The label stays on. TikTok’s Help Center says it may apply the AI-generated label automatically, for example to content made with its AI effects, and that once content is labeled with an auto label, “you won’t be able to remove the label from your post.” Checked against TikTok Help Center: About AI-generated content
TikTok’s US Terms add that output from its generative AI features is provided “as is”, may be inaccurate, and must not be passed off as human-made, including by removing watermarks or content-authenticating metadata. Checked against TikTok Terms of Service (United States), section 3.10 Using our generative AI features
Can you use AI Alive on regular posts?
Not as TikTok documents it: AI Alive lives in the Story camera, and its steps end with posting to Your Story. For AI in a regular post, TikTok’s in-editor tool is AI Create, which makes an AI image or an AI video from a text prompt, and an AI video can also start from a photo you upload. TikTok says AI Create isn’t available everywhere, limits regenerations each day and stores your prompts and uploads for up to 30 days.
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Take a photo or video. You can also tap the Upload button to use a photo or video from your device.
- Tap the Edit button on the side panel. If creating a video, you'll need to tap the Continue ✓ button first.
- From the editing screen, tap AI Create at the bottom.
- Tap AI Image or AI Video. If it's your first time using AI Create, you'll need to grant the app access to use your prompt and/or photos.
- Enter your text prompt, then tap Generate. For AI Videos, you can also upload a photo with your prompt.
- Select your preferred image or video, or tap Regenerate or Modify.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
AI Create sits with TikTok’s other editing tools, and effects and filters are covered in our TikTok filters guide. If you’d rather film the regular post yourself, our TikTok video ideas are grouped by how long each one takes to make.
Why can’t I find AI Alive?
Check where you start. TikTok’s launch post made AI Alive available only in the Story camera, and its Help Center steps start by tapping your profile photo, on your Profile, in your inbox or on the For You or Following feed. The AI Alive button then sits on the side panel once you’ve taken or uploaded a photo. Checked against TikTok Help Center: AI Alive
Region can matter too. When AI Alive reached Stories in May 2025, TikTok’s own @tiktok account said it was available in the US, Canada and Australia. Checked against TikTok (@tiktok) on TikTok: AI Alive has arrived on Stories (16 May 2025) That was a launch-time statement: TikTok has published no current country list, age rule or daily limit for AI Alive, so other countries may have it now. The launch post describes a different route, the blue + on the Inbox or Profile page and then Story Album; the steps above follow TikTok’s current Help Center article. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing AI Alive (13 May 2025)
What can’t you make with TikTok’s AI tools?
A label doesn’t make everything allowed. TikTok’s Help Center rules out some AI-generated content even when it’s labeled: fake authoritative sources or crisis events, public figures falsely shown being bullied, endorsing or being endorsed, the likeness of anyone under 18, and adult private figures without their permission. Checked against TikTok Help Center: About AI-generated content
For AI Alive itself, TikTok runs moderation checks on the photo, the prompt and the generated video before anything is posted. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing AI Alive (13 May 2025)
TikTok’s Community Guidelines also require creators to label AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people, and say unlabeled content may be removed, restricted or labeled. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and Authenticity (released 25 August 2026, effective 24 September 2026) AI Alive stories come labeled, so that rule matters most for AI media you make elsewhere and upload.
Seen a video you think is a deepfake? TikTok’s route is the post’s Report menu, then Misinformation, then Deepfakes, synthetic media, and manipulated media, in the app or on the web. Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to report a post (AI-generated content)
If you’d rather see less AI-generated content, TikTok is testing a control for that in Manage topics. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Helping people spot and understand AI generated content on TikTok (10 July 2026) Our guide to how to turn off AI on TikTok covers it, along with the feed settings that work today.
Does Outfeed AI have AI Alive?
TikTok AI Alive FAQ
Can you use AI Alive on regular TikTok posts?
TikTok documents it for Stories only. Its launch post made AI Alive available only in the Story camera, and its Help Center steps end with posting the video to Your Story. For an AI image or video in a regular post, TikTok’s in-editor tool is AI Create, which TikTok says isn’t available everywhere.
Can you remove the AI-generated label from an AI Alive video?
No. TikTok says AI Alive stories carry an AI-generated label and embedded C2PA metadata, and its Help Center says that once content is labeled AI-generated with an auto label, you won’t be able to remove the label from your post. TikTok’s US Terms also say AI output must not be passed off as human-made, including by removing watermarks or content-authenticating metadata.
How long does TikTok AI Alive take?
TikTok says an AI Alive video may take about one minute to generate. Videos that are still generating, and finished ones, appear in your drafts or notifications, and TikTok says AI Alive drafts expire after 7 days.
Why don’t I have AI Alive on TikTok?
Check where you started. TikTok’s steps begin by tapping your profile photo, on your Profile, in your inbox or on the For You or Following feed, then taking or uploading a photo; AI Alive is a button on the side panel. At launch in May 2025, TikTok’s own account said AI Alive was available in the US, Canada and Australia, and TikTok has published no current country list.
What is the difference between AI Alive and AI Create on TikTok?
AI Alive turns a photo into a video for your Story. AI Create sits in the editing screen of a regular post and generates an AI image or AI video from a text prompt; for an AI video you can also upload a photo. TikTok says AI Create isn’t available everywhere and stores prompts and uploads for up to 30 days.