– Sony’s AI Camera Assistant on the Xperia 1 VIII sparked backlash as many users say the AI “after” images are overexposed, less vibrant, and have poorer dynamic range than the “before” pics.
– Sony describes the feature as using subject, scene, and weather to suggest expressive options and adjustments to color, exposure, bokeh, and lens to inspire creativity (concept akin to filter-style styles).
– The controversy includes theories that samples were mislabeled or used for engagement farming, with visible public debate and high-profile reposts fueling attention.
– The feature is optional and can be turned off; it’s unclear if Sony will issue a follow-up or update to address the concerns.
If you think you’re having had a bad day, you might feel a little bit better after finding out what Sony is currently going through.
Sony’s AI Camera Assistant under fire
The smartphone tech community on X is roasting the Japanese company over its new AI Camera Assistant feature launched with the new Xperia 1 VIII flagship. You can check out the photo samples below, but in case it wasn’t clear, Sony is comparing photos taken with and without its new AI Camera Assistant’s image processing.
Online mood swing
Why the awkward social media backlash? Well, let’s just say that most smartphone camera enthusiasts believe the “before” photos look like what the “after” photos should’ve looked like. According to most users, the consensus is that the AI-enhanced samples show visible overexposure, low vibrance, and low dynamic range, while the original images look more balanced.
Read the quoted post
The quote over Sony’s viral X post reads: “The new AI Camera Assistant with Xperia Intelligence brings stories to life. Using subject, scene and weather, it suggests expressive options with adjustments of colour, exposure, bokeh, and lens for breathtaking photos.”
Mislabeled samples or confusion?
The internet has a few theories as to “what went wrong”. One of them is that Sony simply mislabeled the samples, switching the places of the “before” and “after” photos. However, that’d make sense only if the same samples (labeled identically) weren’t present on Sony’s official website.
Alternate explanations
Nothing CEO Carl Pei reposted the photos, asking if this is “engagement farming,” while many phone enthusiasts began sharing their own “before and after” samples (purposefully edited to look overexposed), “thanking” Sony’s new AI Camera Assistant for “making photos pop.”
Public perception grows into chatter
Either way, many of those commenting believe this is free marketing for the new Xperia 1 VIII, thanks to the level of attention the X post is getting.
At the time of writing this, Sony hasn’t responded to any comments, and the post hasn’t been taken down. It’s worth noting that the AI Camera Assistant is an optional feature within the Xperia 1 VIII’s camera interface and can be turned off.
What Sony says it aims to do
In fact, a little bit of digging shows that, according to Sony, the AI Camera Assistant’s idea is to help “your creativity surge” with “effective settings” that “inspire your inner photographer.” This strongly suggests Sony wants to give users stylistic filter-like options similar to Apple’s Photographic Styles, so perhaps we’re talking about a major misunderstanding.
What might come next
It remains to be seen if Sony will try to clear things up with a follow-up social media post or a camera update.