AI-generated anime selfies propel beauty app to top in Japan


People taking a selfie with Christmas lights in Tokyo. At its peak in recent months, the AI art fascination was generating close to 80,000 tweets per day out of Japan, though the current flow is about a third of that, Toriumi said. — AFP

The ability to turn a user’s selfie into an anime character has turbocharged the Meitu app to the top of Japan’s download rankings over the past week, spurring a big jump in the company’s shares.

Hong Kong-based Meitu Inc is up more than 50% over the past couple of weeks, in which time its app has reached the top of Apple Inc’s free iPhone downloads chart and number 2 on Android’s Google Play in Japan, according to data.ai figures. While not new to the Japanese market, the key novelty in the beauty app was the addition of the option to transform a photo into an anime style with the help of AI.

The use of AI to generate or alter images has taken off in global popularity this year with the introduction of text-to-image systems like Midjourney and OpenAI’s Dall-E. The technology is not without its controversy, but its appeal and accessibility have helped it proliferate. Meitu’s approaching differs, in applying a style transfer onto an existing image. The company also just rolled out the option to add subtle animations – like falling sakura – to its AI-generated anime avatars.

Japan has proven an eager adopter of this new trend, as University of Tokyo professor Fujio Toriumi has found that 40% of hashtagged AI-generated images on Twitter since June have come from the country. The researcher, whose work includes studying information sharing on Twitter following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, collaborated with the Nikkei to analyse the data.

“Japan has a culture of sharing manga on Twitter,” Toriumi said. The novelty of using AI to generate similar pictures is “both a threat and a surprise” to that established audience, but many are embracing it out of curiosity. “For most people, it’s a one-shot, but I think some will continue using it in unique ways.”

At its peak in recent months, the AI art fascination was generating close to 80,000 tweets per day out of Japan, though the current flow is about a third of that, Toriumi said. Still, he anticipates more new uses in the future, including AI-generated fashion models for clothes companies selling gear online and other potential business applications. – Bloomberg

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Anthropic receives $4 billion investment from Amazon, makes AWS official cloud provider
Factbox-Who are bankrupt Northvolt's creditors?
UK should use new powers to probe Apple-Google mobile browser duopoly, report says
EU regulators scrap probe into Apple's e-book rules after complaint was withdrawn
Hyundai recalls over 145,000 electrified US vehicles on loss of drive power
'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
Northvolt CEO steps down, saying group needs up to $1.2 billion
Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on $100,000
Ukraine urges gamers not to enter Chernobyl exclusion zone
Kioxia's market value set at $4.9 billion in IPO

Others Also Read