DirecTV's AI Screensavers Will Soon Let You Shop Inside Your Family Photos
Imagine your TV’s idle screen turning into a little gallery of your own photos. DirecTV is tinkering with a feature that would let you upload pictures, then let an AI mash them together into a moving backdrop that could show you, your kids, maybe even the family dog.
The odd part - and the bit that might make some people uneasy - is that the company wants to slip shoppable ads into those custom scenes. The software would spot a jacket or a lamp in the generated picture and attach a link so you could buy something similar, effectively turning a private moment into a tiny storefront.
It feels like a noticeable step toward mixing ambient advertising with generative AI. The industry has been nudging ads to become more interactive and part of the content instead of a separate break, and DirecTV’s idea pushes that personalization further than we’ve seen. As the company puts it,
DirecTV wants to use AI to put you, your family, and your pets inside a custom TV screensaver. If that’s not uncanny enough, you’ll find items you can shop for within that AI environment, whether it’s a piece of clothing similar to the one your AI likeness is wearing or a piece of furniture that pops up alongside it. DirecTV will soon bring AI ads to your screensaver You can shop for the items that look similar to the ones in the AI-generated screensaver, like clothing or furniture.
You can shop for the items that look similar to the ones in the AI-generated screensaver, like clothing or furniture. The satellite TV giant is partnering with the AI company Glance to roll out this experience to DirecTV Gemini devices starting next year. “We are making television a lean-in experience versus lean back,” Rajat Wanchoo, the group vice president of commercial partnerships at Glance, tells The Verge.
“We want to give users a chance to use the advancements that have happened in generative AI to create a ChatGPT moment for themselves, but on TV.” Glance is owned by InMobi, the same company that injected ecommerce bloatware into Motorola’s budget phones.
The concept feels pretty clever, mixing a personal touch with a commercial angle that almost looks natural. Still, the real question is if viewers will go along or think it’s too pushy. Screensavers have usually just sat there, a quiet placeholder meant to calm rather than sell.
Turning that idle screen into a little storefront flips the script, and it’s hard to pretend that change goes unnoticed. I’m not sure how many will actually notice, though.
When DirecTV rolls this out, user reaction will likely set the limits for this sort of ambient advertising. If people actually bite, other streaming or cable services might start slipping shoppable bits into places we never expected, maybe, even during a pause or a loading screen. At the moment, it’s another hint that AI is slowly stitching commerce into everyday digital spots, whether we’re ready to click or not. Some folks might even turn the feature off, which would force the whole idea to adapt.
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Common Questions Answered
How does DirecTV's AI screensaver feature use personal photos to create custom backgrounds?
DirecTV's AI screensaver feature allows users to upload personal photos, which the artificial intelligence then uses to generate a dynamic scene. This AI-generated idyll can feature you, your family, or even your pets as part of the custom background.
What kind of shoppable advertisements will be embedded in the AI-generated screensavers?
The shoppable advertisements embedded within the AI-generated screensavers will include items like clothing similar to what your AI likeness is wearing or furniture that appears in the scene. Users can shop for these items directly from the screensaver, turning the passive experience into a commercial storefront.
Why might some viewers find DirecTV's new AI screensaver feature intrusive?
Viewers might find the feature intrusive because it transforms the screensaver from a passive, soothing digital placeholder into an active shopping environment. This blending of the personal with the commercial reshapes the traditional relationship with the TV screensaver in a way that is hard to ignore.