AI startup Hugging Face has launched a brand new app for iOS that solely does one factor: makes use of offline, native AI to explain what’s in view of your iPhone’s digital camera.
The app, known as HuggingSnap, faucets Hugging Face’s in-house imaginative and prescient mannequin, smolvlm2, to investigate what your telephone sees in real-time with out sending knowledge off to the cloud. Level your digital camera and ask a query or request an outline, and HuggingSnap will establish objects, clarify scenes, learn textual content, and usually attempt to make sense of what you’re taking a look at.
The idea actually isn’t novel. Many AI-powered apps — and Apple’s personal Apple Intelligence suite of AI-powered options — can accomplish the identical. However as Hugging Face notes in HuggingSnap’s App Retailer description, HuggingSnap works offline, is energy-efficient, and processes all knowledge in your telephone.
“It’s useful when purchasing, touring, learning, or simply exploring your environment,” the corporate writes. “HuggingSnap brings good imaginative and prescient AI to your iPhone.”
HuggingSnap requires iOS 18 or later. It’s additionally suitable with macOS units and the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, do you have to want to apply it to a laptop computer or headset as an alternative.