This free Google app uses Gen AI to take selfies through time — try it yourself

Google Arts and Culture app Art Selfie 2 examples and logo
(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Rael Hornby)

Have you ever wondered how you might look basking in the sun at the foot of an ancient Egyptian pyramid 5,000 years ago? Me neither. But if you were ever to become curious about such a thing, then Google has you covered with its latest Arts & Culture App feature: Art Selfie 2.

Art Selfie 2: Selfies in time

The original Art Selfie was a feature of the Arts & Culture App launched in 2018 that let users find their lookalikes throughout the history of art using facial recognition and machine learning. It was a small experiment to help encourage people to learn more about art.

Art Selfie 2 takes things a little further, moving on from facial recognition to generative AI. Here you'll be able to transform selfies of you or a group of friends into era-familiar images inspired by some of the greatest artwork of all time — bonnets and wigs included at no additional cost.

From famous photographs to iconic artworks, you can place yourself into history while learning more about key moments from art and culture the world over. This can be anything from a selfie atop Mount Everest, a snapshot during the Woodstock Festival, or being re-imagined as a dandy or dapper gent from the 1800s as you wander through Monet's Garden.

Take a look at some examples of what the app can throw together below, from Egyptians to Roman gladiators!

Try it yourself, for free!

Want to try out Google's latest generative AI tool for yourself? Just download the Google Arts & Culture app from the Play Store, it's free and you can generate as many selfies as you want at no cost!

There are a host of other interesting camera and game apps to choose from within the app also, including the original Art Selfie, Art Filters, and even features to create music by painting. Head to the Google Play Store now to begin your exploration of the arts with generative AI.

Rael Hornby
Content Editor

Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.