Twitter Introduces Smart Cropping for Improved Image Previews

Twitter will be utilizing neural networks to improve picture previews, allowing the site to crop into the most interesting part of the image. The engineers responsible explained the feature in a blog post, stating it was developed from basic facial recognition software.

They also researched eyed-tracking to train neural networks and similar algorithms to predict what people look at. Engineers then used a process called “knowledge distillation” to allow the algorithms to work in real time. The feature is currently being rolled out on iOS, Android apps, and desktop today. In other Twitter news, the platform is being sued by TWiT for trademark infringement.