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AI Emotes are one of inZOI's built-in AI features that allow players to create custom poses and animations for their Zois. By uploading a reference image or video, the AI generates a matching pose or motion that can be used in Photo Mode, the Studio (Character Creation), and in the game world. This tool runs entirely on-device using GPU processing, with no internet connection required. The feature has been available since the Early Access launch and is still labeled as "under development."
How to Access AI Emotes
There are two ways to reach the AI Emote creation tool:
Method | Steps |
|---|---|
Character Menu (Live Mode) | Click on your Zoi > scroll to "AI Motion" > hover and select "Make AI Emote" |
Enter Photo Mode (camera button in top menu) > click the "Pose" tab > select "Make AI Emote" at the top of the pose list |
Both methods open the Emote Generation Method screen, where you choose between uploading an image (static pose) or a video (animated motion).
Image-to-Pose vs Video-to-Motion
The AI Emote system offers two generation modes, each suited to different creative goals:
Aspect | Image-to-Pose (Static) | Video-to-Motion (Animated) |
|---|---|---|
Output | A single still pose | An animated movement or dance |
Input | A single photograph | A video clip |
Best for | Portrait poses, standing positions | Dance moves, gestures, dynamic actions |
Key requirement | Full-body shot, single person, front-facing, minimal clutter | Full-body shot, single person, stationary camera |
Recommended source | Search "Full Body Pose" on Pinterest or similar | Short clips of dance moves or emotes from other games; GIFs from Giphy |
After the AI processes the upload, click Save to name and store the emote. The saved emote immediately appears in the Pose selection across all modes.
Supported File Formats
Type | Supported Formats |
|---|---|
Image | .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .tiff |
Video | .mp4, .avi, .mkv, .mov |
Image Requirements
Full-body shot of a single person
Taken from the front (not a side or rear angle)
Clean background with minimal clutter
High-definition, clear image recommended
Video Requirements
Full-body shot of a single person
Stationary camera (no panning, zooming, or shaking)
Short clips work best, ideally under 5 seconds in length
Community tip: slowing playback to ~70% speed before uploading reportedly produces better results
Uploads will fail if the image is cropped to half-body, contains multiple people, or uses a moving camera.
Where to Use AI Emotes
Custom AI Emotes can be applied in three contexts:
Context | How to Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Photo Mode | Open the Pose tab; custom emotes appear marked in blue | Poses can only be changed while the game is paused |
Studio (Create a Zoi) | Click "Customize" > access emotes in the pose selection | Useful for character screenshots with custom backgrounds |
Live Mode (In-Game) | Click Zoi > "AI Motion" > select the emote | The Zoi performs the motion in the game world |
In Photo Mode, custom AI Emotes are visually distinguished from built-in preset poses by a blue marker next to the emote name.
Facial Expressions
AI Emotes generate body poses only. Facial expressions are not included in the AI generation. To add facial expressions to a custom pose, use the separate Facial Expression selector in Photo Mode or the Facial Capture feature (iOS only), which translates real-time facial movements from an iPhone onto the Zoi. These two systems can be combined: set the body with an AI Emote and layer a facial expression on top.
Storage and Management
The game imposes a maximum of 30 custom emotes that can be stored at any one time. This is a hard cap. If all 30 slots are full, new emotes cannot be generated until existing ones are deleted.
Custom emotes are saved locally at:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\inZOI\AIGenerated\MyAIMotions
Each emote is stored as a named subfolder within this directory. To delete emotes and free up slots, navigate to this folder and remove the unwanted subfolders manually. The game does not currently have an in-game UI for renaming, reordering, or bulk-managing emotes.
Sharing Emotes with Other Players
There is no official in-game sharing system for AI Emotes through Canvas (inZOI's creation-sharing platform). However, emotes can be shared externally through file transfer:
Navigate to the MyAIMotions folder on your computer
Copy the emote subfolder(s) you want to share
Send the folder(s) to the recipient (via file hosting, Discord, etc.)
The recipient places the folder(s) in their own MyAIMotions directory
Restart the game; the shared emotes appear in the Pose selection
The modding community has embraced this approach. Nexus Mods hosts curated emote packs, including dance compilations with 30+ emotes and themed packs (such as K-Pop dance collections). Installing a full 30-emote pack fills all available slots, leaving no room for self-generated emotes until some are deleted.
GPU Requirements
AI Emote processing runs entirely on the local GPU using Tensor Cores. The feature is not cloud-based.
GPU | Support Status |
|---|---|
NVIDIA RTX 20-series and newer (RTX 2060+) | Fully supported |
AMD Radeon RX 7000 series and up | Experimental support (may not work for all users) |
NVIDIA GTX-series (e.g., GTX 1070) | Not supported (lacks Tensor Cores) |
Older AMD GPUs (RX 6000 and below) | Not supported |
When AI features are enabled, the game automatically lowers all graphics settings by one level (for example, High becomes Medium) to accommodate the GPU overhead from AI processing. Processing time varies significantly by hardware; community reports range from under a minute on high-end cards to 10+ minutes on lower-end supported GPUs. GPUs without Tensor Cores may fall back to CPU processing, which is substantially slower.
Quality and Limitations
The AI Emote system works well for certain types of content but has consistent limitations:
What Works Well
Simple full-body dance moves and basic standing poses
Emotes ported from other game clips (such as Fortnite dances) translate particularly well
Clear, front-facing reference images produce usable static poses
What Does Not Work Well
Issue | Description |
|---|---|
Hand positions | The AI consistently defaults to open-palm hands. Specific gestures like peace signs, clenched fists, or pointed fingers do not translate accurately |
Complex choreography | Rapid or intricate movements can appear awkward or "janky" in the output |
Feet clipping | Dance animations sometimes produce feet that clip through the floor |
No props | AI Emotes cannot generate interactions with objects or props |
Single person only | The system only processes one person at a time; no group poses are possible |
Known Bugs
Bug | Status |
|---|---|
Photo Mode crash (fixed) | A crash that occurred when creating AI emotes in Photo Mode was fixed in the v0.5.0 update (December 23, 2025) |
Crash to desktop during processing | Some users experience CTD when loading video content for AI emote generation. This affects various GPUs, including high-end cards like the RTX 4090. Lowering texture resolution and minimizing background processes may help |
Game freeze after first creation | A reported issue where the game freezes after the first successful emote creation, preventing subsequent uploads within the same session |
Custom AI Emotes vs Preset Emotes
Aspect | Preset Emotes | Custom AI Emotes |
|---|---|---|
Source | Built into the game by developers | Player-created from uploaded images or videos |
Visual indicator | Standard listing in Pose tab | Marked in blue in the Pose tab |
Facial expressions | Some presets include expressions | Body pose only; no facial data |
Quality | Professionally animated, polished | Variable; depends on source material and AI accuracy |
Variety | Limited to what developers provide | Unlimited creativity within AI capabilities |
GPU required | No | Yes (NVIDIA RTX 20+ or AMD RX 7000+) |
Tips
Tip | Details |
|---|---|
Use Pinterest for poses | Searching "Full Body Pose" on Pinterest provides a large library of reference images that work well with Image-to-Pose |
Keep videos short | Clips under 5 seconds produce the best results. Longer videos increase processing time and reduce accuracy |
Slow your video down | Reducing playback speed to ~70% before uploading reportedly improves motion capture quality |
One person per frame | Ensure your reference shows exactly one full-body person. Multi-person images and cropped shots will fail |
Manage your 30 slots | If you install a full mod pack from Nexus Mods, it fills all 30 slots. Delete emotes you do not use to make room for new creations |
Combine with Facial Capture | Use an AI Emote for the body pose and layer a facial expression separately for complete character expression |