LG V30 Plus 2 670x330 - LG Set to Unveil ‘Vision AI’, Its Own AI Tech For Smartphones at The MWC 2018

LG Set to Unveil ‘Vision AI’, Its Own AI Tech For Smartphones at The MWC 2018

LG Electronics (LG) will introduce the first of a suite of AI technologies for its smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The new technology will be featured in the 2018 version of the LG V30, LG’s upcoming flagship smartphone.

LG claims to have focussed on the camera and voice recognition capabilities of a smartphone in the aforementioned AI technology. LG also claims to have improved upon the user experience through the technology, aiming to deliver a more ‘intuitive’ user experience.

Vision AI: Image Recognition

One part of the AI developed by LG is termed as ‘Vision AI’ which, as per LG, automatically analyses objects and recommends the best shooting mode from among eight modes: portrait, food, pet, landscape, city, flower, sunrise, and sunset. The angle of view, colour, reflections, backlighting, and saturation levels are all taken into consideration as the phone analyses images in its database to determine what the camera is focusing on in order to recommend the best setting. For example, pointing the camera at a plate of pasta will result in food mode being invoked, resulting in warmer colours and heightened sharpening for the best shot possible.

LG claims to have collaborated with a partner in image recognition to analyse over 100 million images in order to develop the phone’s image recognition algorithms. Over one thousand unique image categories were created for more accurate image analysis, resulting in better shooting mode recommendations.

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Another feature of Vision AI provides shopping advice through smart image recognition. By pointing the camera at an object, LG’s Vision AI can automatically scan QR codes, initiate an image search or provide shopping options including where to purchase the item for the lowest price and other similar products that the customer might find of interest.

A new low-light shooting mode automatically brightens images in dim environments by a factor of two. Instead of conventional methods of measuring external light levels, Vision AI instead measures the brightness of the actual image that will be recorded, resulting in brightness levels that are adjusted more accurately.

Voice AI: LG-Exclusive Voice Commands

Another new feature of LG’s AI technology is ‘Voice AI’ that allows users to run apps and change settings through voice commands alone. Working alongside Google Assistant, the 32 LG-exclusive Voice AI commands – up from 23 commands in 2017 – Voice AI allows for direct selection of specific functions.

Upgrading and Expanding Smartphone AI

LG further mentions that its strategy for smartphones is to continue expanding its AI capabilities while also refining existing features to make them more convenient to use. Certain AI features will not be limited to new LG models only, but also to existing LG smartphones via over-the-air (OTA) updates, taking into consideration various hardware specifications and stability of LG smartphone models.

“As we communicated last month at CES, the future for LG lies in AI, not just hardware specs and processing speeds,” said Ha Jeung-uk, senior vice president and business unit leader for LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

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