Prisma is a photo transformation app that turns pictures into paintings done in the style of famous artists. Previously only available to iOS users, the Android version of Prisma is now ready for download through the Google Play Store.
There was a beta testing round that was launched for the Android version of Prisma less than a week ago. Apparently, testing did not need to take long, with the app now released.
The app is certainly not the first that edits the pictures of users, probably the most known one being Instagram with its many filters. It should be noted that when Instagram launched the Android version of its app, Facebook acquired it for a sum of $1 billion about a week afterward.
As such, rumors of acquisition talks surrounding Prisma have already started swirling, and it was reported that Prisma CEO and co-founder Alexey Moiseenkov had a meeting with Facebook.
While Facebook did not respond to the speculations, Moiseenkov told TechCrunch that while he could not yet disclose the information regarding the meeting with Facebook, he would be able to discuss the details by the end of the week.
It remains to be seen whether Facebook has its sights set on acquiring Prisma, like Instagram, or if the social media company has other plans regarding the photo transformation app.
Why all the hype surrounding Prisma, though given the fact that there are already a wide variety of photo transformation apps in the market? The reason is because the app does not simply apply filters to pictures to change them, as it instead utilizes artificial intelligence.
Prisma uses a deep learning method known as convolutional neural networks, using the original pictures merely as guides in creating brand-new pictures that look like they were created by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch.
This is made possible by the fact that the convolutional neural networks powering Prisma are capable of learning different styles when shown several images depicting them. The artificial intelligence can then redraw pictures into new images while applying the style that the user selected.
The breakthrough in Prisma is that its artificial intelligence has been able to separate content with style, which is something that only humans were previously able to do.
With Prisma now out for Android and possible acquisition offers, the challenge for the app right now is to be able to handle an influx of Android users, as server overloads for Prisma have been common as user base rises.
