New App Identifies Dog Breed From a Photo

There’s a fun new Microsoft app called Fetch! that uses artificial intelligence techniques to classify images of real-world dogs into breeds. Available for iPhones and on the web, users upload a photo of a dog or take a picture with their camera and the app confirms the dog’s breed.

For example, if you upload a photo of a Labrador retriever, the app should say it's a Lab.

Created with a sense of humour, it includes a mode that lets you find out what breeds you and your friends are.

Fetch! was released by Microsoft Garage, an “outlet for experimental projects” and like other Microsoft artificial intelligence apps, it should become more accurate as users upload more photos and data.

A small experiment with a variety of photos came up with these mixed results:

Pretty close - poodle/golden retriever.

Sorry - Lab/boxer mix. A profile shot may not be the best for this app.

Fetch! was fooled with this goat. Maybe you can see a bit of cocker spaniel in the shape of the face?

 

The app did not get fooled twice. It recognized the cat right away.

While Fetch! may never replace a DNA test, it's a fun app for dog lovers.