So you think you can dance? Well now you can with Sway. Sort of.
I’ve been known to bust a move every once in a while–and you know what, I’m not terrible either. At least I don’t think so. I know what you’re thinking, “yeah right, Jeff.” You talk a big game but let’s see it. Okay.
Mic drop.
If you noticed something in the video looked a little off that’s because it’s not real. The video was created using artificial intelligence courtesy of an app called Sway.
How does Sway work?
From a user perspective, Sway is extremely easy to use. Simply prop up your phone or have a friend / loved one hold it steady while the app records you performing basic movement. The app will give you some direction throughout the recording process suggesting that you move like a cowboy or do an endzone dance, however, you can freestyle too if you prefer. I did a mix of both in my videos and you can see how they turned out–pretty impressive!
On the backend, I haven’t found much info in terms of the AI implemented here to make this all work. That being said, as cool as it is, it’s also a little scary. I wasn’t doing any of those moves you see me doing in the video. As of right now, the technology still isn’t 100 percent there but as you can see it’s very close which makes me wonder about the potential implications for the future. If a seemingly fun app can make you actually able to look like you can dance–what’s to stop another app from making it appear you committed a crime or did something embarrassing? Definitely food for thought and I have to wonder what the long-term business model for Sway is–because simply paying to remove a watermark seems like a true waste of its technology.
Sway features
Once you record your video, Sway will then process it which can take a few minutes, usually around 10 minutes or so. After your video is processed you can Remix it with your own music as well as add cool little effects as I did in my video above. You can also create a sticker of you dancing on a white background in a gif format (see below).
Final thoughts
Sway is a fun little app with broad implications and I’ll definitely be watching to see where this leads. You can download Sway for iOS today. If you’re interested in Android version the company is asking you to submit your request here to be notified upon launch. Lastly, if you can actually dance, you can submit your moves to be featured in the app.
Hat tip to my friend Kaley for showing me Sway.