Facebook might just have cracked the code to something that everyone wishes for. Ever thought you’d be able to mimic a font or handwriting just by clicking its picture? Well, that’s exactly what Facebook’s AI will do.

The social media giant recently showcased an AI research project called TextStyleBrush, which is capable of copying text style in the photo just by looking at one sample word. While previous AI could do the same but with a narrow set of examples, the new tech can recognize a wide range of handwriting and type styles, even with less-than-ideal angles and backgrounds.

Disentangling the text from appearance

The new tech is somewhat similar to style brush tools found on word processor apps but works with images. While previous methods relied on specific criteria such as typefaces, Facebook’s approach manages to “disentangle” the text from its appearance.

It’s not perfect to be precise, but still does the job better than any other AI out there. Facebook warned that the new tech has some issues with some visuals like metallic or multi-color text. The social media goliath is openly sharing its work and will be supporting additional research.

The new technology could prove to be very helpful for both Facebook and other applications. The company sees it as potential prevention against deepfake text. It can look for telltale clues of copying.

Careful management is required

The tech could also come in handy to create personalized fonts based on a person’s handwriting, or improve translation from images and augmented reality. But, TextStyleBrush is a technology that might require some guidelines and careful management to use its full potential without making it a tool for misuse.

Recently, Facebook also said it wants to beat one of the toughest games – NetHack. The firm has asked the AI community to help it beat the game using artificial intelligence. The AI will also help computers learn to simulate instances faster without many resources.