So there is this app called "Google Arts & Culture". You may have heard of it since it´s already on the market for two years but like any other app which went viral, also Google Arts & Culture was discovered a week ago due to their feature called "Is you portrait in a Museum" - selfie function.
I actually just came across this app and haven´t tried it myself but it seems to be pretty entertaining to upload your picture and see if anything similar is hanging in a random museum around the globe.
What the app does is simply match your selfies with a piece of art from museums around the world. This function has been out for quite some time but really caught on recently...
As you can see, you can also add a picture of your pet and Google will find the perfect, matching art from somewhere in the world.
There are literally no limits as you will see in the following picture. It´s a technical future which can fail sometimes or which can be just rude.
However, I was wondering if this feature will work on everybody or on every selfie from every perspective. Lately some Asian people who have used the app have expressed their disappointment with the selfie function.
After seeing some examples and screenshots of what Google showed them after uploading a selfie, I am pretty shocked too! It could be called racism or just not made for every type of person. We´ve seen above that Googles app has failed already on a selfie of a white woman but it happened way too often with Asian people.
Some people have complained that the app lacks a variety of Asian art.
I mean, maybe you have a different perspective and the people are over reacting. But I would really like to know what you think about this.
( Information & images source )
And thus Asian faces are being matched to a limited number of non-diverse options...
But this isn´t the first time facial recognition apps have had issues with non-white users. Snapchat filters only featured filters who lightened the skin while the Russian app "FaceApp" briefly invented black and yellow filters as well. A spokesperson for Google just published that they are constantly working to make sure the app has the most diverse collection of art possible...
I would love to read if some of you already tested the app and what you think about the issues from the selfie function...
I´ve also read that the selfie function is only available in the US for now.
Thanks for reading
Stay focused
Love, Soldier