Meitu piggybacks on Zepeto’s success with AI-powered cartoon feature

Around two weeks ago, South Korean social app Zepeto experienced a boom in popularity among Chinese youth, with 3D animated avatars popping up across microblogging platform Weibo and social app WeChat.

Now, selfie platform Meitu has released a somewhat comparable feature in the latest upgrade to its selfie-enhancing app, MeituPic. A button labeled “Meitu AI” allows users to snap a picture of themselves to create shareable “cartoon” versions in five different styles.

One particular style uses facial recognition technology to create personalized images and short videos, similar to how Zepeto creates avatars based on users’ facial features.

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