Microsoft thinks I’m a golden retriever

Alan Martin February 12, 2016

Have you ever been in the situation where you’ve forgotten what breed your dog is? Microsoft has the answer with Fetch: an app and website that will identify your dog breed using a photograph, using some rather snazzy artificial intelligence and deep learning technology.

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There was an interest in creating a framework that would allow you to take a domain – in our case, dogs – and recognize numerous classes, such as breeds. We were interested in enabling an app to allow you to make object recognition extraordinary, fun and surprising,” explains Mitch Goldberg, whose Cambridge team built the app.

“If I choose to take a photograph of a flower, it’ll say, ‘No dogs found! Hmmm… This looks more like…flower?’ But if you take a picture of a person, it’ll kick into its hidden fun mode. And in a playful way, it’ll communicate to you not only what type of dog it thinks you are, but also why,” he continued.

The technology uses… wait, what was that? Challenge accepted, Mr Goldberg. Here’s a selection of the Alphr team, as identified by Fetch. Turns out we have a full kennel’s worth of different breeds in the office, but a devastating shortage of squeaky bone toys. alan_fetch

That’s me. Ironically, I was stroking a dog (“eager to please”, see?) when this picture was taken. But not a golden retriever. moncia_fetch

As Production Editor, Monica is well suited to herding others, and she’s certainly independently minded. I know better than to say whether she’s a ‘renowned barker’, though. tom_fetch

Microsoft is definitely on to something here. I have always envied Tom’s waterproof coat. vaughn_fetch

Microsoft has looked deep into Vaughn’s very soul, and honed in on his courage and desire to protect. I feel very lucky to sit next to him, should I ever find myself in danger within office hours. sasha_fetch