The Google Pixel 8 Pro’s new camera is freaking people out with its creepy AI feature

Google's Pixel 8 Pro, the ultimate selfie wizard with AI tricks up its sleeve. But lurking beneath the excitement is a digital dilemma – are we enhancing reality or erasing it? Have a look at the intriguing, slightly unnerving world of AI photo correction.

Google has always prioritized camera innovation in its Pixel series, and the Pixel 8 Pro is no exception. 

• The leaked promotional video has unveiled a slew of exciting camera features that are generating buzz among potential buyers, including

Manual Camera Controls

For photography enthusiasts, the introduction of manual camera controls on the Pixel 8 series is a game-changer.

Modeled after DSLR controls, this feature allows users to take more control over their photography. With options like shutter speed and ISO settings, it opens up creative possibilities for capturing the perfect shot in various lighting conditions.

Video Boost

Google is enhancing video recording with Video Boost, an AI-powered feature aimed at creating smoother and more visually appealing videos. It's also bringing the popular Night Sight effects to video, promising impressive low-light performance.

Audio Eraser

Another feature showcased in the promotional video is Audio Eraser - an AI-driven tool that eliminates unwanted background noise from videos, ensuring that the audio quality of your recordings remains top-notch.

Magic Editor 

The Magic Editor is another AI-powered tool aimed at simplifying photo editing. It enables users to effortlessly move subjects or alter backgrounds in photos, providing an intuitive way to enhance and customize their images.

Camera Specifications

Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro boast impressive camera specifications. They feature a 50MP primary sensor, signaling Google's commitment to delivering high-quality photography. 

The Pro version goes a step further, offering additional rear cameras that provide telephoto capabilities and 5x optical zoom, enhancing the versatility of the camera system.

Face Alteration with Google Photos

Perhaps the most talked-about feature is the ability of Google Photos on Pixel 8 to alter people's faces in photos. With a few taps, you can change expressions and appearances, effectively allowing you to edit your own memories to make them more photogenic. 

While the exact mechanics of how this works remain undisclosed, it's a groundbreaking feature that has both enthusiasts and critics talking.

The Concerns surrounding AI photo correction

While the camera features of the Pixel 8 Pro have garnered significant excitement, there are legitimate concerns regarding the ethical and societal implications of AI photo correction.

Editing memories

One of the primary concerns is the potential to edit personal photos to make people appear happier or more photogenic. Essentially, this feature allows users to edit their own memories.

While it may seem like a convenient tool for enhancing photographs, it raises questions about the authenticity and integrity of our visual narratives.

• Critics argue that altering memories in this manner could distort our perception of reality and create a culture of superficiality, like rewriting history, but with a filter.

Ethical dilemmas

The ability to modify facial expressions and appearances raises ethical dilemmas. Users might be tempted to use this feature to create unrealistic or misleading representations of themselves or others.

This could have consequences in various contexts, from online dating profiles to social media, where authenticity is already a concern. Are we setting unrealistic beauty standards here, or just having a bit of harmless fun with pixels? It's a debate as old as the digital camera itself.

Privacy and consent

There are also privacy considerations. What happens when someone AI-enhances a candid shot of you without your permission? You might find yourself looking overly cheerful in a picture you didn't even know was being taken. This feature could potentially lead to invasive and unethical uses of AI-enhanced photography.

Impact on self-image

 With the power to make yourself look more photogenic at your fingertips, you might start questioning your real-life appearance. Are we all slowly turning into our own Instagram filters? It's a selfie existential crisis waiting to happen.

Misuse and deception

In the wrong hands, AI photo correction features could be misused for deceptive purposes, such as creating deep fakes or spreading false narratives through manipulated images. This poses a significant challenge for combating misinformation and maintaining trust in visual content.

The final verdict

The camera features of the upcoming Google Pixel 8 Pro promise a new level of creativity and customization in photography and video recording. Manual controls, video enhancements, and AI-powered editing tools offer users powerful options for capturing and editing their visual content.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is about to give us some seriously cool camera features. But, with great AI comes great responsibility of course. How we use these AI-powered tools will determine whether we're enhancing our creativity or heading down a rabbit hole of photogenic deception.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is scheduled for further updates on October 4, with a speculated October 5 pre-order date.