DirecTV wants your face in its new AI screensaver ad

If you’ve ever thought to yourself that AI-powered dystopianism isn’t quite as pervasive as it ought to be, then DirecTV has you covered. The US-based television provider is planning on injecting a dose of AI-generated screensaver technology into your video feed, in what appears to be an all-new (and highly questionable) style of advertisement delivery.

In specific, DirecTV is collaborating with AI company Glance on this endeavor, bringing to life a new system that’s powered by Google Gemini under the hood. Glance is capable of delivering dynamically adjustable “AI-powered content and commerce screensavers” to your TV during times of idle.

In real terms, this equates to an interactive on-screen AI avatar feed of yourself, with the option to swap out various purchasable sets of clothing, furniture, and more on the fly. AI news, recommendations, sports and weather updates, and local trends are also set to debut as part of this new setup.

“With Glance AI, TV screensavers become a smart content discovery, personalization, and AI-commerce experience. DirecTV audiences who stream TV through our Gemini devices will now get the opportunity to reimagine their interactions with their TV screen, with personalized content, entertainment, news, and shopping recommendations in real time,” says Vikash Sharma, SVP, Product Marketing at DirecTV in a blog post.

This Glance AI screensaver experience is set to roll out fully to DirecTV users in early 2026, and it’ll be exclusively available to customers with DirecTV Gemini hardware. It’s unclear whether there will be any way to opt out of the experience once it does land in users’ homes.

Screensavers meet AI-commerce

DirecTV is playing a high-risk, high-reward game

I’m a big fan of screensavers, particularly the tranquil ones that promote a sense of calm in my otherwise digitally cluttered living environment. To add aesthetic balance to my home, I have my Apple TV set up with a constant feed of aerial landscape panoramas, and my Windows 11 PC is configured with t he mesmerizing full-screen Mica app during times of idle. My Android phone, too, is often perched on its Qi2 wireless charger with the Portal app displaying nature scapes front and center.

My love for screensavers knows no bounds, and, for this reason, I’m hostile to any and all forms of AI-generated e-commerce encroachment. Glance and DirecTV are betting that there’s real value in “a new two-way relationship between TV watchers and their idle screens,” but I have my doubts.

While it’s true that the Glance AI screensaver experience will rely on on-device AI processing, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable with the idea of uploading a photo of myself onto the Glance mobile app, and having it dress me up in a set of purchasable products and accessories.

Of course, I could very well be in the minority here, and DirecTV’s decision to swap out the standard Google wallpapers feed with the Glance AI interface could prove lucrative in the long run. A more interactive set of screensavers might strike a chord with a subset of users, and, if it does, I can foresee Glance eventually making its way to the TV programming launcher proper.