Skype introduces background blur feature

While a huge video conference call is due and your manager has asked you to pull up all the reports at the last minute and it is totally understandable if you have forgot about all the stuff that you have kept at the shelf right behind you. Thankfully Skype is acknowledging the issue and has introduced the feature called as background blur.

The video chat service has introduced the new feature to save you from the background embarrassments. Skype has explained, “[Background blur] takes the stress out of turning on your video and puts the focus where it belongs—on you. With a simple toggle, right-click, or even through your Skype settings, your background will be instantly and subtly blurred, leaving just you as the only focal point.” Now before you star celebrating and decided to leave behind all those quirky posters at your home office, the company has also issued a note of caution.

Skype has warned that they have done their best and make sure that the background is always blurred but they cannot guarantee that the background will always be blurred. No matter what the warnings say, it still remains an important development and also an important feature, as you escape to clean up or find a clean wall before you go live. The feature has used artificial intelligence that is trained to detect human form. While this has already proved to be a blessing for people who spend half of their time cleaning up, it has left everyone thinking about what other privacy improvements can be introduced to make the experience even more comfortable.

For instance, it would be good if Skype had offered a feature that enabled with a simple right click or toggle to completely blackout the video and leaving the sound intact. For now the users can enjoy the background blur feature which can come handy for many users.

Photo Credits: TechGenYZ