Just when you thought the internet couldn't get any more interesting...
Microsoft has released a new application programming interface (API), "How Old Do I Look?" that promises to showcase the software giant's savviness for innovation. The app was unveiled at Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco on Thursday.
"It's a really fun API that allows you to submit pictures, detect faces in that, and tells you an estimate of their age and gender," said Joseph Sirosh, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Microsoft, during the presentation.
The event demonstration of How Old Do I Look? however failed to impress the tech specialists at hand because the app didn't produce an accurate analysis for the sample pictures.
While Microsoft's new app may not be as groundbreaking as some of their other innovative products, it does lend to some fascinating and humorous ideas — like, say, finding out how old the Avengers are.
These are the ages of the Avengers cast — according to Microsoft's "How Old Do I Look" app:
Black Widow
According to the app, the Avengers' Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff – played by actress Scarlett Johansson – is a 38-year-old female. It didn't mess up her gender, but it got her age off by eight years, as Scar Jo was born November 22, 1984 — making her only 30 years old.
Natasha, on the other hand, was born around 1928, according to her comic character profile on Marvel.com. That means the seductive superspy is already 87 years old.
Hawkeye
Romanoff's superspy partner and BFF, Hawkeye/Clint Barton was given the age of 46. The app came closer with this one — the actor who plays Hawkeye in the film, Jeremy Renner, was born January 7, 1971, making him 44 years old.
Barton's date of birth in the comics is not clear, but basing it on his first Marvel appearance back in Sept. 1964, Hawkeye is about 51 years old.
The Hulk
Microsoft's face-detection app had trouble with this one as it failed to recognize the green giant's very unique facial features. It managed better with Bruce Banner, putting his age at 50 years old. The app was only off by three years, as actor Mark Ruffalo's birthday is on November 22, 1967, which means he is 47 years old.
The Hulk busted into the comic book scene in 1962 with Incredible Hulk #1. The character is already 53 years old.
Thor
Not even the mighty Odinson himself could escape the calculating powers of the How Old Do I Look? app. It posited Thor's age as 33 years old. His Hollywood alter ego, Chris Hemsworth, was born on August 11, 1983, making him 31 years old.
The thunder god got his first official break in Journey into Mystery in 1962 (age 53), but he made his first comic book appearance in Venus Vol 1 #12 in 1951 (age 64).
Captain America
Arguably one of the most revered characters in the history of comics, Captain America/Steve Rogers was given the age of 42 by the app. This one really missed the mark, as the actor who plays him in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Chris Evans, was born June 13, 1981 (age 33).
As for Rogers himself, the prediction is still way off, as he was born on July 4, 1920 (age 95). This also makes him one of the oldest living human characters in Marvel's Earth-616 universe.
Iron Man
Unlike the first few predications, the app guessed younger for this one. How Old Do I Look? said Iron Man/Tony Stark is 42 years old. Robert Downey Jr. was born on April 4, 1965, making him already 50.
The app's age suggestion is closer to that of the comic book character, as Anthony Edward Stark was born on May 29, 1970 (age 45).
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Photos courtesy of Marvel Studios.
