Google App Uses Artificial Intelligence to Find Your Pet’s Look-Alike in Art History

Cat Lookalike in Art History

Comparison of Georgia the cat with a painting by Samuel van Hoogstraten, created using Pet Portraits, a feature of the Google Arts & Culture App.

In 2018, Google put their impressive artificial intelligence to use in a new way. People took selfies and uploaded snaps on the Google Arts & Culture app. The app then analyzed your appearance and found doppelgängers throughout hundreds of years of art history. Even celebrities jumped on the trend by posting their unlikely look-alikes. Now, your beloved pets can use the app with a new feature called Pet Portraits. Like the human version, AI matches your pup or kitten to similar creatures depicted in the 10,000 works of art in the app's database.

To try the app for yourself, simply download the Google Arts & Culture app on your device from Google Play or the App Store. Click on the camera icon and you will find an option for Pet Portraits. Then, simply snap a clear shot of your pet or upload one from your photo library. The algorithm next searches for their likeness among its vast archive of artwork found in museums around the world.

The results vary by percent “match” to your furry friend. You can download the cute comparisons or follow the links to the artwork to learn more. The examples below show the historical antecedents of the author's beloved pets. Try it on your own horse, reptile, cat, or dog. While the algorithm has difficulty with rodents, you will be surprised by how many types of animals have made appearances in artwork—from cats and birds in Japanese prints to ferrets in medieval European portraits. Explore and enjoy while curating your own pet-themed “exhibit” of artworks on the app today.

The Google Arts & Culture app allows you to take a photo of your pet and find their look-alike in art history.

Google Arts & Culture Pet Portraits

Molly the basset, comparison created using Pet Portraits, a feature of the Google Arts & Culture App.

The app uses artificial intelligence to search a database of over 10,000 works of art spanning hundreds of years.

Cat Lookalike in Art History

Comparison of Garfunkel created using Pet Portraits, a feature of the Google Arts & Culture App.

It then suggests the furry friends that look most like your cat, dog, horse, etc.

Google Arts & Culture Pet Portraits

Alice the labrador, comparison created using Pet Portraits, a feature of the Google Arts & Culture App.

If you like, you can do a similar search to find your own doppelgänger in paintings and prints.

Google Arts & Culture Pet Portraits

Comparison created using Pet Portraits, a feature of the Google Arts & Culture App.

h/t: [Open Culture]

All animal images by Madeleine Muzdakis / My Modern Met.

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Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
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