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.

The first time a stranger on the train told me I had a nice smile, I didn't believe her. Back then, I hadn't yet had my crooked teeth fixed, and my self-esteem wasn't anywhere as high as it is today. I was an ugly kid, and it took a shocking number of selfies to convince myself that I'm not an ugly adult. It may seem like a superficial pastime, but selfie-taking has real benefits. I'm not alone in believing there are psychological advantages here.

Strong interim results posted by Chinese smartphone camera makers may have proven yet again the future of camera manufacturing lies with lenses that are minuscule and A.I.-savvy. The landscape of the camera making industry has fundamentally changed as consumers are shelving their professional cameras and using smartphones to take pictures in recent years. Now as computer vision technology, which uses deep learning scheme to enable machines to understand digital images and videos, matures, smartphone camera makers, many of which are leading the pack in computer vision software development, could displace traditional camera makers' dominance in their own backyard. Companies such as Q Technology, Sunny Optical exemplified the rapid growth of smartphone camera makers in China. Both companies have posted strong first-half results this year, as traditional camera makers such as Canon see a decline in unit sales in digital compact cameras.

People now edit their selfies using computer vision, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Several apps from Snapchat to Meitu all use these technologies so that they can adjust what your device's camera sees - even in real-time. For instance, Snapchat has lenses that can make it look like you're wearing a crown, while Meitu can instantly beautify your portraits. So, at a time when selfies are everywhere, it makes sense that Adobe, the maker of Photoshop, would want to leverage such technologies as well. Sensei, an extension of Adobe that dabbles in artificial intelligence and machine learning, has released a trailer for some new features that it is working on - and they all seem to be focused on improving selfies.

The smartphone is enabled with artificial intelligence (AI) for snapping amazing selfies. Apart determining the age and gender, the Magical AI Beautification (aka MTbeauty 2.0) on Meitu T8 can enhance selfies by detecting the skin tone. The AI selfie feature can even improve the appearance of each face individually in group photos. The Magical AI Beautification can whiten the teeth and remove the saggy appearance below the eyes. It can make the skin look smoother and add make the face glow without making it artificial.

Chinese selfie app and smartphone company Meitu has unveiled its newest flagship, and it's all about making you look better. The T8 includes a front-facing camera with optical image stabilization and dual-pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF) similar to Samsung's Galaxy S7 and the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom -- rare components in a selfie camera. It also has a feature called Magical AI Beautification. Like Meitu's popular beauty apps, it can detect your skin tone, age and gender, then touch up your selfie accordingly. According to Meitu, Magical AI Beautification will enhance group photos as well as selfies, detecting and adjusting each face individually.