New AI Model Fills in Blank Spots in Photos (nikkei.com)

A new technology uses artificial intelligence to generate synthetic images that can pass as real. From a report, shared by a reader (the link may be paywalled): The technology was developed by a team led by Hiroshi Ishikawa, a professor at Japan's Waseda University. It uses convolutional neural networks, a type of deep learning, to predict missing parts of images. The technology could be used in photo-editing apps. It can also be used to generate 3-D images from real 2-D images. The team at first prepared some 8 million images of real landscapes, human faces and other subjects. Using special software, the team generated numerous versions for each image, randomly adding artificial blanks of various shapes, sizes and positions. With all the data, the model took three months to learn how to predict the blanks so that it could fill them in and make the resultant images look identical to the originals. The model's learning algorithm first predicts and fills in blanks. It then evaluates how consistent the added part is with its surroundings.

Comments

Re:It might be ok and awful at the same time.

[PolygamousRanchKid]

However, when it completely falls on its face I bet it will be even funnier than the way content-aware fill blows up.

I tried the prototype, and it filled all the holes with pictures and outrageously fake quoted statements from Donald and Hillary. The system must have been hacked by Russians already.

The pictures will probably be updated really soon with pictures of the new presidential candidates, Oprah Winfrey and Zuckerberg.