Apple introduced PICO (Perceptual Image Codec), a learned image codec optimized for the human visual system that offers significant bitrate savings compared to existing codecs. PICO achieves 2.3-3x bitrate savings against AV1, AV2, VVC, ECM, and JPEG-AI, and 20-40% savings against other learned codecs, while maintaining fast on-device encoding and decoding speeds. The development was based on a comprehensive study of modeling choices and extensive subjective user studies to jointly optimize perceptual quality and runtime.
Apple is showing that learned image compression can be both perceptually tuned and fast enough for on-device use, not just a research result. The benchmark claims matter because PICO is compared against AV1, AV2, VVC, ECM, JPEG-AI and other learned codecs, with subjective user studies backing the bitrate numbers. For the streaming stack, that makes image compression more relevant to mobile delivery and app-side asset handling. The next concrete signal to watch is whether Apple publishes the full arXiv paper and citation details behind PICO’s 2.3-3x savings and 230ms/150ms timing claims.
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