Articles

"More beautiful" & "Photo-editing" Expert Yuka Kubo Talks About AI's Future in Visual Communication

2024.07.17

The term "mori" ("盛り," referring to photo enhancements) has been a staple for a while, but compared to the Heisei era, "mori" has evolved significantly. Around 2006, the "mori" popular in print sticker booths (purikura) spread to photo-editing apps with the rise of smartphones, and recently, AI has been making waves.

Photo-editing apps, essential for taking selfies with your smartphone, continue to advance. But where does this technology currently stand? And where is AI, which demands our attention, heading in the future?

This time, we spoke with Yuka Kubo, who researches Cinderella Technology and "mori" culture.

PROFILE

Yuka Kubo

Ph.D. researcher. Specializes in Media Environment Studies. She has held positions such as Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Lecturer at Tokyo University of Technology's School of Media Science, and Specially Appointed Researcher at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology.
Her publications include "『盛り』の誕生―女の子とテクノロジーが生んだ日本の美意識―" (2019, Ohta Publishing) and "ガングロ族の最期ーギャル文化の研究―" (2024, East Press).

Japanese Aesthetic was Indeed Purikura

Basically, we are on the receiving end of technology created by engineers.

Despite living in the same era as these engineers, we have received countless technologies from them.

Print sticker booths and photo-editing apps, which blend seamlessly into our daily lives, are some examples.

Looking back from the Heisei era to now, there has been significant evolution. But what was the background for Kubo's research on "mori" and "photo-editing"?

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