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In total, Meitu has nearly 200 patents and software copyrights on machine learning and augmented reality [4]. Meitu\u2019s R&D division, Meitu Imaging Laboratory (MTLab), is credited with industry breakthroughs in facial recognition, image identification, augmented reality, and machine learning. Once its free apps created a sizable user base and inflow of data, Meitu sought to monetize its machine learning technology with live-streaming and smart hardware.<\/p>\n
Meipai has become the #1 video-based social media platform in China, allowing for easy video customization with refined accuracy in identifying backgrounds, faces, lighting, etc. [5]. Meipai has over 140 million monthly active users [6], and unlike its previous photo apps, Meitu allows its users to monetize their videos with the platform receiving up to 30% of each user\u2019s advertising generated income [7].<\/p>\n
However, Meitu\u2019s biggest cash cow comes from its smartphones (93% of sales) [8]. Claiming to have the largest database of human portraits on the planet, Meitu takes its machine learning technology one step further with its smartphones\u2019 \u201cauto-beautification\u201d \u2014 editing in real-time, as you pose for the camera, with smoother and lighter skin, rounder eyes, and whatever else Meitu has been trained to think of as beautiful (see Exhibit 2) [9].<\/p>\n Meitu has become so efficient with its instant beautification that a user is hardly given time to decide what\u2019s beautiful before Meitu decides for her. As Meitu\u2019s algorithms get smarter, is the user still training Meitu, or is the machine training the individual? The results of machine learning are only as robust and accurate as the data it\u2019s being fed, with the risk of the machine reflecting biases inherent in the data.<\/p>\n As Meitu expands globally, with over one million users in each of the 39 countries it operates in, it faces global challenges of what beauty means for different cultures [10]. Meitu is learning that Norwegians like freckles, but the Chinese hate all blemishes [11]. Meitu has also been accused of racism for whitening people\u2019s skin, and responded with a skin-darkening feature (see Exhibit 3) [12].<\/p>\n Rather than championing a specific East-Asian interpretation of beauty and reacting only when there is negative press, Meitu should segment its customers culturally and train separate data sets. From there, Meitu could even tailor its editing features per user based on what the app learns about that user\u2019s preferences \u2014 for example, the \u201csmoothing skin\u201d feature could keep or remove freckles depending on what it\u2019s learned from the user\u2019s past actions. Ultimately, how a user chooses to beautify themselves should be a personal choice, not a homogenized suggestion from a phone application.<\/p>\n As Meitu steadily builds out its \u201cbeauty ecosystem\u201d by expanding into advertising [13], e-commerce, external partnerships (including brand ambassadors and dermatology hospitals [14]), and customized cosmetic recommendations [15], it needs to be conscious of such potential subliminal messaging. To avoid generalizing beauty across cultures, Meitu should consider partnering with local social influencers and recommending products accessible from that region\u2019s local market. By doing so, Meitu can also strengthen its machine learning data by not mixing data that would contaminate and confuse the algorithm, and refine the accuracy of its data.<\/p>\n This year, Meitu announced its long-term goal of becoming a social media platform \u2014the equivalent of Instagram in China (which doesn\u2019t currently exist) [16]. If Meitu\u2019s theory of beauty were to be layered onto Instagram\u2019s significant cultural power, the consequences could be socially destructive, especially for young and impressionable users. Given the possibility, how should Meitu harness machine learning appropriately and what safeguards should the company create for itself as its social influence on Chinese and global beauty standards increases?<\/p>\n (790 words)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1] Meitu, \u201cWhat is Meitu?\u201d, https:\/\/corp.meitu.com\/en\/about\/overview\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [2] Meitu, \u201cCreating and Sharing Beauty\u201d, http:\/\/global.meitu.com\/en\/company<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [3] Jiayang Fan, \u201cChina\u2019s Selfie Obsession\u201d, The New Yorker<\/em>, December 25, 2017, https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2017\/12\/18\/chinas-selfie-obsession<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [Exhibit 1] Daniel Li, \u201cHow to create a virtuous cycle of data with your customers\u201d, VentureBeat<\/em>, August 19, 2018, https:\/\/venturebeat.com\/2018\/08\/19\/how-to-create-a-virtuous-cycle-of-data-with-your-customers\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [4] Faye Brookman, \u201cMeitu\u2019s Makeup Plus Launches Counter App to Encourage Virtual Lipstick Experimentation\u201d, Women\u2019s Wear Daily<\/em>, June 21, 2017, https:\/\/wwd.com\/beauty-industry-news\/beauty-features\/meitus-launches-counter-10923569\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [5] Meitu, \u201cMeipai\u201d, http:\/\/global.meitu.com\/en\/products#Mp<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [6] Jacky Wong, \u201cMeitu: Why China\u2019s Photo Phenomenon Is Out of Focus\u201d, Wall Street Journal<\/em>, August 23, 2016, https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/meitu-why-chinas-photo-phenomenon-is-out-of-focus-1471989783<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [7] Fan, \u201cChina\u2019s Selfie Obsession\u201d, The New Yorker<\/em>.<\/p>\n [8] Sijia Jiang,\u00a0\u201cChinese Selfie App Firm Meitu Reduces Loss, Aims for Expansion Abroad\u201d,\u00a0Reuters<\/em>, March 24, 2017,\u00a0https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-meitu-results\/chinese-selfie-app-firm-meitu-reduces-loss-aims-for-expansion-abroad-idUSKBN16V1WW<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [9] Tiffany Ap,\u201cMeitu Banking New Growth on Social Platform, Off-line \u2018Real\u2019 Beauty\u201d, Women\u2019s Wear Daily<\/em>, August 9, 2018, https:\/\/wwd.com\/beauty-industry-news\/beauty-features\/meitu-new-growth-on-social-media-physical-real-beauty-1202772000\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [10] Meitu, \u201cHistory\u201d, https:\/\/corp.meitu.com\/en\/about\/history\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [11] Celia Chen, \u201cChina\u2019s biggest selfie app Meitu turns its eye to social networking\u201d, South China Morning Post<\/em>, April 26, 2018, https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/tech\/article\/2141309\/chinas-biggest-selfie-app-meitu-turns-its-eye-social-networking<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [12] Viola Zhou, \u201cMeitu confident of global success despite bumps in the road\u201d, South China Morning Post<\/em>, February 6, 2017, https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/business\/article\/2068537\/meitu-confident-global-success-despite-bumps-road<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [13] Meitu, Inc., \u201cBeauty and Social Media: Meitu Announces Strategic Pathways for the Next Decade\u201d, PR Newswire<\/em>, Aug 08, 2018, https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/beauty-and-social-media-meitu-announces-strategic-pathways-for-the-next-decade-300693971.html<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [14] \u201cAfter Creating 166 Million Super Cute Selfies, Meitu\u2019s AI Sets its Sights on Skin\u201d, Synced<\/em>, November 10, 2018, https:\/\/syncedreview.com\/2018\/01\/11\/after-creating-166-million-super-cute-selfies-meitus-ai-sets-its-sights-on-skin\/<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n [15] Luo Weiteng, \u201cMeitu fights to lead the pack in AI race\u201d, China Daily<\/em>, April 11, 2018, https:\/\/www.chinadailyhk.com\/articles\/187\/189\/131\/1523420357496.html<\/a>, accessed November 2018.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-11-at-5.43.58-PM.png\")
<\/a><\/a>References<\/h3>\n