Creating Caricature Stickers from Selfies

The Allo messaging capability from Google is now capable of creating caricature image stickers from selfies.  These are mostly for use within Allo, but you can snip them off and use them elsewhere.   Whats most interesting is how this was done, and the care to make it work well and not insult anyone,  even considering things like 'Uncanny Valley' effects.   Which hardly seems important in cartoon images,  since they don't  get close to images you would mistake for photos.

In general the results  are flattering caricatures of the cartoon style.   And you can play with the images to get them to your liking. The article about how this was done is in the Google Research Blog.   Allo is free from Google, so anyone can try.    It links to Google Assistant to make the messaging smart, in ways I am still trying to understand.  More on my examination of Allo.

Google Allo

Been following Google Allo but still quite unimpressed.  Odd coming from AI giant Google.  Where is the conversational magic we need to make?   How will it integrate with the much vaunted Knowledge Graph?

Google is still adding basic chat features to Allo
We're talking encrypted group conversations and link previews. Seriously. ... Slowly, Google is bringing its Allo chat app's basic functionality up to speed with the likes of iMessage and Telegram. The application's latest update adds the encrypted incognito mode to group chats (previously it was only available in one-on-one conversations). As Droid Life notes, you can even set an expiration timer for when your conversation goes out of incognito mode. Then there are link previews, which many other chat apps have had for awhile now. But hey, having Assistant in your chats from the get-go was impressive, right?  .... "  

See an intro to the Knowledge Graph.

Microsoft Slack Competitor via Skype?

 A Microsoft Slack Competitor via Skype?

Might Microsoft show off its Slack competitor at November 2 event?
Microsoft is planning to talk up team collaboration technologies at a November 2, 2016, event in New York City. Maybe we'll see the beta of Skype Teams launch then, too.  ... "   By Mary Jo Foley

Follow Mary Jo's Foley's ZDnet Microsoft blog for more on this.

With bot infrastructure to compete with Google Allo for the workplace?

Google's Allo delivering Messaging AI

We are seeing that messaging systems will be the place that consumer facing AI will reside, acting as a bot to enhance everyday communications with intelligence.  How good that intelligence will be remains to be seen.  Recall that that same technology is rumored to be integrated into the soon to be released Google Home.  Will be following.  Quite an extensive opinion piece:

Why you want Google's Allo
Reviews are mixed on Google's latest communication app. Here's what the reviewers aren't telling you.     By Mike Elgan   Computerworld  

Should you get Google's Allo? The answer is: Yes!

As a messaging app, Google's new Allo isn't great. Specifically, it's functionally indistinguishable from any number of apps that have been around for years.

But there's one reason why you should want to use Allo every day: artificial intelligence.

There are dozens of messaging apps, and each has its own unique list of features. For example, iPhone users may feel compelled to choose between Apple's iMessage, which  which recently gained the ability to run iMessage apps, and Allo for iOS.

So for the sake of understanding Google's new messaging service, let's talk about how iMessage compares with Allo. .....  

Google's Digital Assistant Revealed

First via a messaging App called Allo, later in the fall via Google Home to provide a competitor to Amazon Alexa and Siri.   Claims for better AI.  In Adage:  " ...   Watch Out, Siri and Alexa: Google's New Digital Assistant Is Here  ... " 

More on the release of the Google Allo App.  And how Google plans for leadership in assistant AI.

(Update)  "It's really important for Google, as the company has bet its entire future on A.I.," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "Their CEO Sundar Pichai said at I/O his company is no longer a mobile company, but an A.I. company. Allo needs to go really, really well. They're on stage here."

Rob Enderle, an analyst with The Enderle Group, said Allo could be an advance for messaging, as well as for Google. But it also carries risks.

"The competitive advantage is the A.I. engine, but the A.I. is young and, as yet, poorly trained, so like a baby on a plane, generally more annoying than beneficial at the moment," he added. "You have to start someplace."  ... ' 

A critical look at Allo's value.

Another Messaging App or Service Concierge

In Verge:   Did remind me of Hangouts at first, but then with AI and better voice recognition included.   More assistant like.    Concierge like.    A replacement of Apps?   That gets you to the service that you need.   Built on Google Assistant?  Now just convince a few hundred million people to switch over. Available this summer.

" ... Google is announcing a new messaging app today. It's called Allo and its main feature is a Google assistant that's built right in. Google says it'll be available later this summer — for free — on both iOS and Android.

Allo (pronounced like "Aloe" and not like "'allo, guv'nor!") is a mobile-only app that you might think is meant to replace Google's other messaging app, Hangouts. But you'd be wrong. Allo is explicitly meant to be a fresh start for Google's new communication's division (which also runs Hangouts and Project Fi).

"It's really liberating to start from scratch sometimes," says Erik Kay, director of engineering, communications products. And Allo does feel like a fresh new start. Its interface is clean and easy to understand, with some clever little innovations on what you've seen in other chat apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. ...  "