This article was published on July 5, 2016

Microsoft’s weird chatbot lets you merge celebrity faces for freaky results


Microsoft’s weird chatbot lets you merge celebrity faces for freaky results Image by: Microsoft

We’re constantly hearing about the imminent chatbot revolution and how they’ll replace apps for everything from booking cabs to buying groceries.

Given that it’s still early days, it’s hard to tell if this is just a fad. I haven’t yet found a chatbot I can rely on or would use instead of a mobile app; their responses are usually limited and so are their functions. But I could certainly talk to Murphy all day long.

Developed by Microsoft to show off its machine learning and intelligence chops, Project Murphy is a bot that can take requests to merge faces on demand, to great comedic effect.

^1580C076562BC3A1B1B44296D1388D46EB04A0644CD8FB082C^pimgpsh_fullsize_distr

All you need to do is add Murphy to your Skype or Telegram contacts and ask it questions like, “What if Obama had Trump’s hair?” Murphy will reply with an expertly manipulated photo in seconds, and ask if you want to make any changes to the face or the surrounding image.

Naturally, your mileage will vary depending on the images Murphy chooses to put together – but for the most part, I got some good results.

You can also upload your own picture for Murphy to use. I tried, “What if I had The Rock’s body?” and was pleasantly surprised with the results; maybe it’s time I started hitting the gym.

^601FEBAB2519A1EF7B3F90BA0B6802562B10DED972CEDD2A5A^pimgpsh_fullsize_distr

Microsoft says that Murphy will soon be available on Slack and Kik. It’s supposed to be available on Messenger already, but when I tried the link, the app said the user doesn’t exist.

H/T Chitrak Mitra

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with