Updated on September 4, 2019

What makes a person beautiful? For centuries, scholars debated what comprises of beauty and how to measure beauty in a standardized, reproducible way. Some argue that beauty is not real, that it’s a myth, that the perception of beauty is learned, not developed. Others argue that the perception of beauty is an “innate developmental or biological ability” (Harrar et al., 2018). Over the past few decades, scholars tried to quantify facial beauty with the advancements of computer technology and artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined by Merriam Webster (2018) as:

1: a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers

2: the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior

One particular branch of AI — machine learning — is now being used to understand images and text. The next question becomes: Can machine learning and AI understand beauty? And more importantly, can machines make us more beautiful?

To answer these beauty questions, consider the following three topics:

AI Applications, AI Research, and AI Ideas.

AI Applications in the Beauty Industry

There are many companies and organizations that already incorporate machine learning, deep learning, and AI into their beauty solutions. Here are my favorite practical AI applications in the beauty industry:

AI Research in the Beauty Industry

Artificial Intelligence research and academia are often ahead of the industry. Large budgets are dedicated to research and develop the latest machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence algorithms. Reading AI research is time-consuming and the process requires an understanding of technology and computer science terminology. Here is my favorite AI research in the beauty industry:

AI Ideas for Beauty Industry

There are many artificial intelligence ideas to explore. AI R&D projects are greenfield projects. There are many opportunities, but coming up with ideas can be challenging. That’s why I brainstormed a few AI ideas to help you get started in the beauty industry: