Modern smartphone cameras rely heavily on artificial intelligence, quietly reshaping how everyday moments are captured and remembered.
While these technologies often produce visually impressive images, experts warn they can also blur the line between reality and digital reconstruction.
A widely discussed example involves Samsung Galaxy phones and their ‘100x Space Zoom’ feature, which can capture highly detailed images of the Moon despite the phone’s tiny camera hardware.
However, tests have shown that the phone’s AI recognizes the Moon and fills in details that are not actually visible, generating a clearer image than the original scene. Samsung describes this as ‘detail enhancement’ but critics argue it goes beyond traditional photography.
This kind of processing is not limited to extreme zoom. Every smartphone photo triggers complex computational photography systems that merge multiple images, adjust lighting, reduce noise, sharpen details, and correct colors.
Features such as HDR and Apple’s Deep Fusion use AI trained on millions of images to selectively enhance different parts of a photo, often making it look cleaner and brighter than what the eye perceived.
While manufacturers say these tools aim to preserve authenticity, some photographers and users complain that modern phones over-process images, creating artificial textures or “plasticky” effects. In some cases, zoomed-in details appear distorted or unrealistic, resembling AI hallucinations.
The issue is more pronounced with AI beauty filters found on some phones made for Asian markets, where facial features may be altered or even generated automatically. Google disabled such filters by default in 2020 due to mental health concerns, and Apple avoids built-in beauty modes entirely.
Experts note that photography has always involved interpretation, but AI now plays a much larger creative role - often without users realizing it. As smartphone cameras grow more powerful, they are no longer just recording reality, but actively shaping how memories are preserved.
