The Sony company recently presented the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII, and one of the main advantages of the phone is the new AI camera and the “AI Photography Assistant” function. However, just a few days after the presentation, the internet literally exploded due to the official demo photos released by Sony itself.
Sony posted sample photos on the X social network to show how the AI camera helps users choose different shooting styles. Instead of positive reactions, an avalanche of criticism and ridicule followed.
The AI camera sparked a heated debate
A large number of users assessed that the AI versions of the photos look worse than the originals, with comments on overexposed frames, weaker contrast and washed out colors. Some comments went so far as to ask users if Sony had accidentally mixed up the “before” and “after” photos.
The situation further escalated when the well-known tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee got involved in the whole story and publicly commented on the whole situation, which gave the discussion huge attention in the tech community.
Sony was then forced to officially respond and explain that the AI camera doesn’t actually automatically process photos after the shutter is released, but only suggests different creative shooting styles to the user that they can choose manually or ignore completely.
Even though the Xperia 1 VIII has just hit the market, the controversy surrounding the AI camera function almost immediately became one of the main topics among mobile photography enthusiasts.