A Reddit user discovered that Samsung phones may be faking moon photos by adding extra detail that isn't actually captured by the camera. To test this, a tech reviewer conducted experiments, including taking a photo of a blurry moon image and printing out a blurry moon image and hanging it from a light. In both cases, the phone added extra detail to the image. The reviewer concluded that Samsung uses AI to recognize the moon shape and add pre-learned textures to the image.
The issue raises two concerns: the moral question of whether photos should be altered by AI, and the accusation that Samsung is deceiving customers by using AI to make moon photos look better than they actually are. The reviewer argues that while Samsung should have been more transparent about how their moon mode works, the feature is not a scandal, but rather a demonstration of the power of AI in image processing.
The reviewer notes that smartphones already use software to enhance images in many ways, and that the scene optimizer feature is not unique to Samsung. They also argue that the end result of the moon mode is a more authentic photo, even if the process of creating it is less authentic.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Samsung phones have been advertised as having up to 100 times space zoom capabilities for years.
2. A Reddit user downloaded a high-res shot of the Moon, downscaled it to 170x170 pixels, and applied a blur to it.
3. The user then took a photo of the blurry image with their Samsung phone and the phone identified it as the Moon and added in extra detail.
4. This led to the conclusion that Samsung is using its AI scene Optimizer mode to place craters in spots that are not actually there in the original image.
5. The author of the text decided to test this claim by taking four photos: a genuine shot of the Moon, a photo of the Moon on a screen, a photo of a blurry Moon image, and a photo of a paper cutout of the Moon.
6. The author found that the phone was able to detect the Moon and add in extra detail in all cases, even when the original image was blurry or a paper cutout.
7. The author also found that the phone was able to detect and add in extra detail for a photo of a blurry Moon image that had been edited to include a small amount of extra detail.
8. The author compared the results from the Samsung phone to those from an iPhone 14 Pro and a Google Pixel 7 Pro, and found that the other phones did not add in extra detail in the same way.
9. The author concluded that Samsung's AI is trained to recognize the Moon and add in extra detail, but that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
10. The author noted that smartphones already use software to enhance images in many ways, and that this is not necessarily a problem.
11. The author suggested that Samsung should have done a better job communicating what their AI is doing and how it is enhancing images.
12. The author also noted that the feature is not necessarily about camera quality, but rather about software processing.
13. The author concluded that the end result is what matters, and that the AI-enhanced images are arguably more authentic than unenhanced images.