Google Arts Selfie helps users find their painted lookalike

Google has launched a new feature on its Arts & Culture app that lets users match their selfies to faces in famous paintings.

Available to download for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android users, the app’s new “Arts Selfie” mode uses artificial intelligence (AI) to sift through thousands of paintings and drawings in search of a match.

The search giant says the AI system scans the user’s selfie and instantly compares it with faces in artwork provided by over 1,200 galleries and museums.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

To mark the feature’s worldwide debut, The Sun says Google has added thousands of additional artworks on the AI’s roster.

The app’s selfie feature was released in the US in January where it was downloaded by the millions.

Speaking to Trusted Reviews, a Google spokesperson said the feature’s worldwide release came nine months after its US debut where it was originally launched as an “experiment” designed to inform users about art.

But Art Selfie proved to be one of the app’s most popular modes, prompting the company to launch it worldwide.

The spokesperson said that Google worked on improving the user experience of the photo-matching feature before opening it up globally. “It makes something old new and relevant, especially to a younger audience.”

How to use Art Selfie

First search for the Google Arts & Culture software on your smartphone’s app store and download it free of charge, says Tech Advisor.

Once downloaded, open the app and scroll down to the Art Selfie option on the home screen. You will then be prompted to take a picture before the system sifts through its library of artwork to find the closest match.