Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Adds AI-Enabled Visual Search to Bing Mobile Apps

    Written by

    Pedro Hernandez
    Published June 22, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Microsoft is turning vacations, walks around the neighborhood and nature hikes into an opportunity for users of its Bing mobile apps to learn more about their surroundings and help improve the company’s artificial intelligence technologies along the way.

      The software giant has added new intelligent visual search technology to the Bing mobile apps for Android and iOS, along with the Microsoft launcher app for Android (formerly Arrow Launcher), that enables users to point their cameras at the landmarks and objects they encounter during their wanderings and get more information about them. The feature is one of the many ways the company is showcasing how its AI and machine learning technologies can be baked into applications, starting with its own.

      “The visual search feature uses Microsoft’s computer vision algorithms, which are trained with datasets containing vast amounts of labeled images, as well as images from around the web. From the training images, the algorithms learn to recognize dogs from cats, for example, and roses from daisies,” explained Microsoft AI writer John Roach in a June 21 blog post.

      “What’s more, the learning process is never done; the performance of the algorithms improves as they get more data,” he added.

      Microsoft envisions developers taking its computer vision technology and using it in their own apps, and the company has been steadily releasing tools that simplify embedding AI capabilities into third-party software. For example, mobile developers can use Custom Vision Service’s code-free, AI model export feature to add image recognition functionality to iOS and Android apps.

      Custom Vision, part of the Azure Cognitive Services suite of cloud services, allows users to train, deploy and optimize image classifiers. In May, Microsoft revealed that the offering was the first Azure Cognitive Service to make the leap from the cloud to the edge, setting the stage for drones and internet of things (IoT) devices that can process visual information without connecting to the cloud service.

      Google and IBM Advance Computer Vision

      Of course, Microsoft’s rivals aren’t sitting still on the computer vision front. DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, recently unveiled a system that can re-create 3D scenes from 2D images.

      Using a new framework called Generative Query Network (GQN), machines are trained with only the data they obtain themselves, essentially enabling them to learn based on the information they gather from their surroundings, explained DeepMind research scientists S. M. Ali Eslami and Danilo Jimenez Rezende in a June 14 announcement. Using the technology, DeepMind’s researchers were able to devise a renderer that can re-create a 3D scene from information the system observed in a flat 2D image.

      Meanwhile, IBM is working on a stereo vision system that can capture scenes in 3D, similar to the way the human brain can perceive depth from the information produced by a pair of eyes. Powered by the company’s TrueNorth chips for AI neural networks, the system can detect an object’s location and distance using less power than conventional systems, paving the way for high-performance vision systems for autonomous vehicles.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a writer for eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.