PixLift: Accelerating Web Browsing via AI Upscaling

TL;DR

PixLift is a browser extension that reduces webpage data usage by downscaling images during transmission and using AI to upscale them on the device, making web access more affordable and inclusive.

Contribution

It introduces a novel AI-based image upscaling approach integrated into browsers to significantly cut data consumption without quality loss.

Findings

PixLift reduces webpage data size by up to 50%.

AI upscaling maintains high image quality during browsing.

User study shows positive user experience with PixLift.

Abstract

Accessing the internet in regions with expensive data plans and limited connectivity poses significant challenges, restricting information access and economic growth. Images, as a major contributor to webpage sizes, exacerbate this issue, despite advances in compression formats like WebP and AVIF. The continued growth of complex and curated web content, coupled with suboptimal optimization practices in many regions, has prevented meaningful reductions in web page sizes. This paper introduces PixLift, a novel solution to reduce webpage sizes by downscaling their images during transmission and leveraging AI models on user devices to upscale them. By trading computational resources for bandwidth, PixLift enables more affordable and inclusive web access. We address key challenges, including the feasibility of scaled image requests on popular websites, the implementation of PixLift as a browser extension, and its impact on user experience. Through the analysis of 71.4k webpages, evaluations of three mainstream upscaling models, and a user study, we demonstrate PixLift's ability to significantly reduce data usage without compromising image quality, fostering a more equitable internet.