Sony’s AI Camera Assistant backfires: Internet mocks overexposed ‘AI Camera Assistant’ examples

Artificial intelligence has repeatedly struggled with image generation, often producing gibberish text or extra fingers in photos. Now, AI’s limitations have extended to photography assistance, as the internet ridiculed Sony’s new AI Camera Assistant feature.

The official X account for the Sony Xperia smartphone shared examples from the tool, which suggests lens, exposure, and color adjustments. However, the posted before-and-after images revealed comedically flawed results. One image of a person in a field was transformed from a balanced photo into an overexposed image, while a close-up of a sandwich lost all depth in the processed version.

[Screenshot: via X]

The X post quickly drew criticism and mockery, with users flooding the comment section. One user wrote,

“If this is intelligence, I’d prefer my phone dumb.”

“This is one way to completely destroy photography.”

The backlash extended beyond X to Reddit, where users questioned the feature’s quality. One user commented,

“I first thought this was a joke. Who sat there at Sony and thought that these pics would be great promo material?!”

Was the backlash intentional?

Some users speculated that Sony’s flawed examples might have been shared for engagement farming. Carlos Pei, CEO of Nothing, questioned the post’s intent, tweeting,

“This must be engagement farming?”

“That’s exactly what it is. Look at how many people are talking about Sony because of this. Right when they release a new flagship camera and phone.”

Fast Company reached out to Sony for comment. The original post amassed over 11 million views and 3,000 comments within a day. In response to the backlash, Sony issued a clarification on X:

“Following the post about AI Camera Assistant, we’d like to explain the feature in more detail. It doesn’t edit photos after shooting—it suggests 4 settings in different creative directions based on the scene and subject. You can choose any option or use your own settings.”

Despite the clarification, criticism persisted on Sony’s X account. One commenter wrote,

“[Too] late. The meme train can’t be stopped.”