AI-generated anime selfies propel beauty app to top in Japan

The ability to turn a user's selfie into an anime character has turbocharged the Meitu app to the top of Japan's download rankings over the past week, spurring a big jump in the company's shares. Hong Kong-based Meitu is up more than 50% over the past couple of weeks, in which time its app has reached the top of Apple's free iPhone downloads chart and No. 2 on Android's Google Play in Japan, according to data.ai While not new to the Japanese market, the key novelty in the beauty app was the addition of the option to transform a photo into an anime style with the help of AI. The use of AI to generate or alter images has taken off in global popularity this year with the introduction of text-to-image systems like Midjourney and OpenAI's Dall-E. The technology is not without its controversy, but its appeal and accessibility have helped it proliferate.