Ever wonder why your photos aren’t getting enough likes on Instagram? Well, visit BBC Tomorrow’s World‘s Facebook page for a little experiment. As soon as the page loads, a chatbox would appear. Now, click the Get Started button and you’ll receive this message:
Once you accept the terms an conditions, it will ask you to log in to your Instagram account. The chatbot says that the process “will allow [it] to learn what works well on your account.” Once you’re logged in, it will ask you send a photo via the chatbox (not on Instagram) for analysis. After you’ve uploaded your picture, you’ll have to wait a few minutes for the results. Thankfully, the chatbot has a few short video clips to keep you entertained. Watch them because they provide you advice for better Instagram photos, like this: and this: [via DPReview]
I had fun using it, and I was impressed how it was able to detect colors, features, and landmarks (or the lack thereof) in the image. However, I felt a bit strange when it asked me this question: “Does my analysis of this photo show machines can be as insightful as people? Or do I still have a long way to go?” Would you be willing to call an algorithm insightful? I love that technology has a come a long way, but I don’t think you can ever really quantify color or emotions. If we relied on nothing but science to tell us what’s beautiful and what’s not, we might just end up with the same type of photos all the time. Just try to imagine if all photographs have blue in them, and people are always smiling in front of some famous landmark in the background. Nevertheless, I’m still quite impressed with what BBC Tomorrow’s World has done. I find it fascinating to see how an artificial entity was able to rate my image in the way it did. If you’re curious, head on to their Facebook page and try it yourself!
