A few weeks back, Google unveiled its new Arts and Culture app and added a feature that matches selfies with museum artwork. However, back then the feature was limited to the US market and users in India had to use VPNs in order to access the feature. Now though, the company has official launched the feature in India.
The feature works in the same manner as before. It uses computer vision technology to examine a users face, and then compares it against the many pieces of art shared by museums and similar institutions. The user is then showed which of the artworks best matches their selfie along with the percentage of the match. Tapping the artwork reveals more details about the piece.
Google also assures users that the company will not use the data from the phone for any other purpose and will only store the photo for the time it takes to search for matches. Further, it also lets the user know that the feature is still in an experimental stage.
The project as formerly known as the Google Art Project and was launched back in 2011. The initiative aims to make art more accessible in this day and age. The project was launched in collaboration wit 17 international museums located in multiple parts of the world.