TikTok rolls out AI ad tools, in-app ’mini’ experiences to boost engagement

Ads can now be created, managed, and optimised with less manual input.

TikTok is launching new AI-driven advertising systems and in-app entertainment formats as it pushes to increase engagement and monetisation within its ecosystem.

At the center of the update are Mini Dramas and Mini Games, new on-platform formats that let users watch episodic short-form series or play games directly inside TikTok’s feed without leaving the app.

The formats are designed to tighten the path from discovery to engagement and monetisation, allowing publishers and developers to launch content in roughly a month from onboarding to release.

To support these new formats, TikTok introduced TikTok Growth Max, an automated advertising system that optimises campaign performance across the entire funnel—from content discovery to engagement and conversion.

TikTok also expanded its AI creative suite under ByteDance’s broader ecosystem, introducing new capabilities inside TikTok Symphony.

Key additions include Dreamina Seedance 2.0, a video generation model designed to produce high-quality ads with less manual editing, and Reference to Video, a feature that allows advertisers to guide AI-generated videos using images and product prompts to achieve more precise creative output.

On the infrastructure side, TikTok introduced the TikTok Ads Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, a system that allows developers to build AI agents directly on top of TikTok’s advertising platform. These agents can automate campaign creation, optimisation, audience targeting, and performance analysis.

Alongside it, the company launched TikTok Ads Skills, a modular framework that enables developers to build AI-driven advertising tools without starting from scratch, covering workflows like budget optimisation and creative analysis.