In December 2023, Microsoft launched a new feature for Microsoft Teams that generated custom backgrounds for video meetings in a public preview. Today, the company announced that this AI-based feature is now generally available for all Microsoft Teams Premium users.
In a post on the Microsoft Teams blog, the company said:
Now, with the latest advancements in generative AI, you can seamlessly blend your physical and digital spaces, enabling you to revamp what’s seen of your physical meeting space for each call. This technology allows for effortless room clean-ups, adding virtual plants, or festive decorations for special events, all without the need for a frequent interior designer consultation.
The new AI background generation feature can be accessed in Microsoft Teams Premium via the "Video effects’ and ‘Backgrounds’ pane. The new feature can be used before you join an online video meeting or during such a meeting.
Users can change their video background with this feature in several different ways. One of them cleans up your background in the video by removing any clutter the app may see on the screen for a cleaner viewpoint. Another mode will do the opposite and put a lot of decorative objects in the background.
Another mode will add virtual plants so it looks like you have a green thumb in your home office. If you are celebrating a special occasion, there's another mode that will put in virtual balloons, streamers, or other similar objects.
Finally, there's the "Surprise Me" mode. Microsoft says:
Cycle through a variety of styles to transform your space including 2D animation theme, underwater theme, a block-style design reminiscent of Minecraft, and a space shuttle theme, offering a new experience with every click.
After you have picked your AI-made background theme in the app you can click on the "Generate backgrounds" and it will show you two options to choose from. You can pick from one of the two or click again to create two more options. Once you have picked one you can then select "‘Apply and save background" to save it, and you can also use it again for a future video meeting.
Microsoft Teams Premium users can now try out this feature free for 30 days. If they buy this extra before June 30 it will cost $7 a month per user, and after that date, it will cost $10 a month per user.
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