Witness the horror of Street Fighter characters turned human by Google's AI

[midian182]

WTF?! These days there are plenty of AI-based apps that can make us look older, younger, change our sex, and even add our likeness into movie scenes, but could there be a better use for such advanced technology? Yes: discovering what video game characters would look like in human form. In the case of Street Fighter's extensive cast, there are some quite disturbing results.

As reported by VG24, Twitter user Siberian_644 posted a series of images showing the fighting series' most popular characters turned into humans by Google's algorithm. Some are actually very impressive and do resemble real-life versions of the combatants. Others, however, are the stuff of nightmares.

First up is Guile, who in human form resembles a young Jake Busey.

Street Fighter V Characters photos doctored by Google algorithm. Thread. #StreetFighter

First one is Guile pic.twitter.com/LK7lKXZQUc

— Siberian_644 (@Siberian_644) August 30, 2021

Following the movie star theme, here's Guile again, now in his alternative outfit and easily mistaken for Tom Cruise during the actor's Top Gun days.

Cody makes a convincing human, albeit one who goes under the knife quite often. Has this man ever tried to rope you into a pyramid scheme?

Some of the best transformations are Street Fighter's female characters. Chun-Li is excellent, as is Lucia (apart from the blue hair).

Unfortunately, there are some whose human incarnations are less than stellar. Ryu definitely doesn't look like a master of martial arts.

Seven-foot Muay Thai legend Sagat cuts a particularly sad figure, having been turned into a high school chemistry teacher whose wife recently left him for his younger brother.

Google has sadly misinterpreted young ninja-in-training Ibuki's mask for facial hair and given her real-life persona a 5 o'clock shadow.

Here's Gill looking like a member of 80s rock band Twisted Sister.

And M. Bison. No longer a megalomaniacal, psychopathic dictator, he has now become a software developer specializing in high-concept titles.

Last but certainly not least is Zangief. The Russian hero's human counterpart has fallen on hard times and now dances for rubles on the streets of Moscow.

Make sure to check out the full roster on Siberian_644's Twitter account.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/91039-witness-horror-street-fighter-characters-turned-human-google.html

 

[Uncle Al]

LOL ... I'm surprised the game companies aren't already doing this .....

 

[stewi0001]

This made my day! I am laughing so hard that I am almost crying!

 

[VitalyT]

It is disturbing, alright. Guile looks demoted from 80-ies style to IQ-80 look.

 

[hahahanoobs]

A lot of them are pretty good. I'm impressed.
It will only get better as time goes by.

 

[punctualturn]

Holy cr@p, those are hilarious!

The first Guile looks like Gary Busey to me.

 

[polord]

And I look like Bruce Lee…

 

[QuantumPhysics]

All of the AI interpretations look like Youtubbers.

 

[elementalSG]

The computing power needed would be enormous, but can imagine for the better rendered characters like Chun-Li, Guile or Cody if this could be done in real-time in a game?

Forget ray tracing, it would take gaming to ultra-realism. Wow

 

[Puiu]

The video made by CorridorCrew this weekend is great with exactly this.

 

[Raytrace3D]

Love it. Got a good laugh. I'm certain I've met some of these characters in real life. haha

 

[m4a4]

HAHAHAHA that last one

 

[VaRmeNsI]

I think it turns the characters into the devs that made them.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Zangeif, my boy, what did they DO to you?!? And byson, my GOD.

 

[arrowflash]

I liked most of them.

- Guile, Cody, Chun Li and Lucia are perfect. Guile only needs his hair back but that's just because it confused the algorithm.

- M. Bison (the boxer) is one of the few I disliked. He looks more Indian than black now. Ibuki and Sagat were also duds.

- Ryu played by a young Sigourney Weaver? lol. I think Ryu is actually pretty good, would just need a few touches to make him less androgynous.

- Gil is probably my favorite. Just give the red/blue face paint back and it's perfect.

- I actually liked Vega's (the villain) new look. A megalomaniacal, ultra-powerful dictator with the face of a harmless, unassuming nerd. I think it actually suits the character.

- Amazing how Zangief looks a lot more Russian than the original, lol. Just give his dignity back by returning his full beard and it would be perfect.

The computing power needed would be enormous, but can imagine for the better rendered characters like Chun-Li, Guile or Cody if this could be done in real-time in a game?

Forget ray tracing, it would take gaming to ultra-realism. Wow

I'm sure they could easily be done in real time. It's more about art style.

 

[Mugsy]

I'm missing something.

"Autodraw" only let's me draw primitives by hand, with the ability to "guess" what I'm drawing and replace it with another pre-drawn primative (I've yet to find a "real" conversion option.)

So how does one convert an *existing* image created by another program into a realistic looking image? "Google AI" isn't a separate program, and if it's built into "Autodraw", I AIN'T FINDING IT.

What software are they using to do these conversions and are they publicly accessible?

 

[Prosercunus]

It doesn't even look like it's creating some sort of unique facial design. It literally just looks like a head shot of an actual person that sorta looks like the character.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Some of these are pretty badly done. I also think that the algorithm could be called racist.

Balrog has been given non-African hair. That's kinda racist.

Ryu looks like a cross between Ralph Macchio and Fred Savage. Ryu is supposed to be Japanese, also kinda racist.

Chun Li looks good but she's supposed to be Chinese, not Ukrainian. Again, kinda racist.

The worst of them is Ibuki. Aside from the obvious stubble (WTF?!) the very shape of her face is all wrong. It looks like the algorithm added 20 years of age and about 50lbs of weight. I don't see a double-chin in her original render. She looks like an overweight Italian New York cop. Her name indicates that she's supposed to be Japanese so again, kinda racist.

Whoever designed this algorithm needs to inform it that not all humans are Caucasians because it's clearly unaware of this fact.

 

[Gypsygib]

Chun-li, Lucia, second Guile and kinda Balrog and Zangief look normal to me, assuming and Zangief didn't look so angry and Balrog not so forcefully trying to say something?.


Ibuki, Ryu had me cracking up!

Cody looks like a sad, blond Joaquin Pheonix to me. And, first Guile looks like a roid head that went way Way too far.

Gil looks pretty much exaclty how I would imagine a real life Gil without make up.

Others look like middle aged cosplay.

 

[Gypsygib]

Some of these are pretty badly done. I also think that the algorithm could be called racist.

Balrog has been given non-African hair. That's kinda racist.

Ryu looks like a cross between Ralph Macchio and Fred Savage. Ryu is supposed to be Japanese, also kinda racist.

Chun Li looks good but she's supposed to be Chinese, not Ukrainian. Again, kinda racist.

The worst of them is Ibuki. Aside from the obvious stubble (WTF?!) the very shape of her face is all wrong. It looks like the algorithm added 20 years of age and about 50lbs of weight. I don't see a double-chin in her original render. She looks like an overweight Italian New York cop. Her name indicates that she's supposed to be Japanese so again, kinda racist.

Whoever designed this algorithm needs to inform it that not all humans are Caucasians because it's clearly unaware of this fact.

I don't think anything about this is racist lol. Defintly not the algorithm. If there was an argument at all it would be based on Techspot choosing Balrog to be the post pic for shock and weirdness...I mean, personally I would have picked Ryu as the embodiement of WTF bit if the techspot guy saw Balrog as the most weird looking is that racist or just the individual differences in perception? Who knows. Benefit of the doubt applies here.

 

[p51d007]

Well, they "sort of" fit in with Hollywood. Most of these look like a lot of hollyweirdo types
Too much PLASTIC SURGERY. LOL

 

[pcnthuziast]

Amazing that they can simultaneously be so similar and so utterly different in the worst possible way. I'll keep the originals thank you very much. Get those invasion of the body snatchers clones tf outta here please.

 

[Watzupken]

Of all, I think Ryu looks the worst, followed by Ibuki. AI can't figure out Ibuki's mask, but fortunately, did not give her a beard. Haha.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I don't think anything about this is racist lol. Defintly not the algorithm. If there was an argument at all it would be based on Techspot choosing Balrog to be the post pic for shock and weirdness...I mean, personally I would have picked Ryu as the embodiement of WTF bit if the techspot guy saw Balrog as the most weird looking is that racist or just the individual differences in perception? Who knows. Benefit of the doubt applies here.

That's why I said kinda. I don't really think that an algorithm can be racist.

 

[Gastec]

They've made them look like progressive, gender-fluid hipsters.