Upload a Photo, Get a Scent: Alice AI’s Most Unusual Feature Yet

Alice AI becomes the world’s first neural network to identify scents from images. Starting today, April 1, users can upload a photo and ask a question like “what does it smell like?” — and receive a response describing the scent of the scene, from freshly ground coffee to a sea breeze or homemade pastries.

Each result is enriched with short, atmospheric descriptions such as “smells like summer” or “like grandma’s pie.” The feature builds on the idea that visual images naturally evoke associations and memories — and brings this ability into AI.

The technology is powered by spectral reconstruction and subpixel image analysis. The model evaluates color, texture, and scene context, as well as environmental density, light scattering, and visual noise. It then maps these signals to aromatic profiles and generates a scent description, combining visual analysis with generative modeling.

The feature will be available in beta from April 1 to April 3 across the app, web version, Browser, and Search with Alice. Users can test it on a wide range of images — from food and coffee to rainy streets or everyday scenes.

The project demonstrates how AI can expand the boundaries of digital perception, opening up new ways to experience and interpret visual content.