Meta rolled out a suite of artificial intelligence-powered features to Facebook on February 10, 2026, enabling users to animate profile pictures, restyle photos and videos in Stories and Memories, and add dynamic backgrounds to text posts. The updates extend Meta AI’s capabilities beyond chat functions and into personal expression tools across the platform, following the reported achievement of over 1 billion monthly Meta AI users.
The new profile picture animation feature allows users to transform static photographs into short animations. Users can select from preset animations – including “natural,” “party hat,” “confetti,” “wave,” and “heart” – to modify their profile pictures based on mood or occasion. Meta plans to introduce additional animation options throughout the year, timed to seasonal events, and celebrations. The company recommends using photos featuring a single, forward-facing person for optimal results, advising against images where subjects are holding objects.
Facebook’s “Restyle” feature utilizes generative AI to alter the aesthetic of images within Stories and Memories. Users can apply preset styles such as “anime” or “illustrated,” adjust “moods” like “glowy,” modify “lighting” to “ethereal,” change “colors” to “cool” or “pink,” or add “backdrops” like “beach” or “cityscape.” Meta will also suggest Restyle options for Memories within Stories. The feature operates by modifying existing images rather than creating entirely new content.
Animated backdrops are also being gradually rolled out for Feed text posts. Users can select from still and animated backgrounds, including options like falling leaves or ocean waves, by tapping a rainbow “A” icon when creating a new post. Meta intends to introduce seasonal backgrounds to enhance the visual appeal of text-based posts.
These features arrive as Meta continues to integrate AI into its products, a strategy that simultaneously generates data for training AI systems and drives user engagement. The company announced plans in October 2025 to leverage AI chat data for ad targeting, beginning December 16, 2025, effectively incorporating user conversations into its advertising personalization systems. Meta’s advertising revenue reached $58.1 billion in the quarter ending December 31, 2025, a 24% year-over-year increase attributed in part to AI improvements, including enhancements to the GEM model that delivered a 3.5% lift in click-through rates on Facebook.
The rollout of these features coincides with increasing regulatory scrutiny of Meta’s data processing practices in Europe. In February 2026, a German court upheld a ruling ordering Meta to pay four Instagram and Facebook users €1,500 each in damages for illegally collecting personal data across third-party websites and apps. A Madrid court previously ordered Meta to pay €479 million to 87 Spanish digital news publishers in November 2025 for unfair competitive advantages gained through advertising practices that violated GDPR. A July 2025 ruling by a Leipzig District Court awarded a Facebook user €5,000 for data protection violations related to Meta’s Business Tools. These legal challenges create uncertainty surrounding Meta’s data processing for AI training and personalization.
Meta is also facing questions regarding the use of children’s data in AI training. A German court confirmed in August 2025 that Meta’s AI training includes children’s personal data from public posts, despite company claims of age-based protections. The Hamburg Data Protection Authority confirmed ongoing GDPR violations affecting children’s data during court hearings.
The company has announced plans to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in building superintelligence capabilities through large-scale data center clusters. The features are being rolled out globally through the Facebook mobile application and website, with animated text post backgrounds deployed gradually.
