Last week Mail.ru Group, a major, LSE-listed Russian Internet group, announced that the new version of ICQ for Android now allows processing images using a neural network-inspired technology.
“ICQ is the first messenger to seamlessly integrate neural networks,” the group stated.
With this update, ICQ users can transform a photo into a painting in just one tap. The built-in photo editor offers no less than 20 options for real-time processing. Users can draw over the processed photo and add stickers. The edited image can then be shared via ICQ Stories or any chat.
For image processing, ICQ uses the API of the Vinci app, which is intended for simple and fast automatic photo enhancement. (The Vinci technological approach, which is based on generator networks, is described in this article)
Mail.ru Group is asserting itself as a pioneer in neural network-based applications. Earlier this summer, they invested in Prisma, the mobile app that has popularized such an image processing approach. Then the group launched the Artisto app, applying neural networks to videos.
A once-leading instant messaging system, ICQ was launched and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996. It was acquired by AOL in 1998, then by Mail.ru Group in 2010.
Photo credit: Mail.ru Group
