How does Samsung respond to claims that its smartphone cameras produce “fake” photos of the Moon or any other object with artificial intelligence (AI)? The company’s head of product states that each photo is actually “fake” in a sense.
Patrick Chomet, Samsung’s Executive Vice President of Products (EVP), touched upon important points about the combination of photography and artificial intelligence in his interview with TechRadar. Recalling Marques Brownlee’s video on the Moon photo last year, Chomet stated that discussions about whether a photo is “real” actually raises a bigger question: Is there really a “real” photo?
Samsung’s approach to photography with artificial intelligence
Chomet states that as soon as you capture something through a sensor, you reproduce it, and this opens the “reality” of the photo into question. It is difficult to draw a clear line as to whether a photo taken using AI zoom, autofocus or scene optimization is real or not. In this context, Samsung and other technology giants such as Apple and Google are ushering in a new era in the world of photography by combining multiple frames and various techniques to produce final images with smartphone cameras.
The rise of generative AI further fuels this debate. Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra models are among the latest phones to market this technology. Chomet states that the industry needs to be regulated, governments are right to be concerned, and Samsung aims to assist in this process.
Samsung’s strategy is to offer consumers two things: the ability to “seize the moment” and the ability to create a “new reality.” AI is used in both cases, but the latter is marked with watermarks and metadata to ensure people understand the difference.
This is an approach that goes beyond cheating the world of photography to help users understand the difference between reality and virtual. In this new era, Samsung is starting an important discussion about what photography means and how technology should be used ethically. This marks a transformation that requires new responsibilities and ways of thinking not only for technology manufacturers, but also for consumers and regulators.