Sony’s AI – Sony’s new “AI Camera Assistant” feature was promoted with before-and-after images that many users mocked as comedically overexposed and flat-looking. Instead of winning over consumers, the post triggered a meme wave, skepticism about “engagement farming,” and
A promotional post from Sony’s Xperia account was supposed to make its new “AI Camera Assistant” feel like an upgrade. Within hours, it did something else entirely: it gave the internet a set of images people used to roast the feature, not celebrate it.
Sony’s official X account shared before-and-after examples meant to show how the tool offers lens, exposure, and color suggestions.. But several of the results looked dramatically overdone.. One image of a person in a field shifted from depth and contrast into a photograph so bright it flattened the scene.. Another before-and-after pair featured a close-up sandwich where the “after” version appeared to lose contrast so thoroughly the picture looked without depth.
The reaction moved fast.. Sony’s comment section filled with mockery and satirical remixes as users posted their own “before-and-afters” to poke fun at the aesthetic.. “If this is intelligence, I’d prefer my phone dumb,” one X user wrote.. Another added: “This is one way to completely destroy photography.”
On Reddit, the skepticism was even sharper, with at least one user saying they initially thought the announcement was a joke. “I first thought this was a joke,” the Reddit user wrote. “Who sat there at Sony and thought that these pics would be great promo material?!”
As the criticism grew, some people questioned whether Sony’s post was even intended to persuade.. Carlos Pei, CEO of consumer tech company Nothing, seemed to suspect a tactic.. “This must be engagement farming?” Pei wrote on X.. Another commenter agreed. arguing that the timing—around Sony’s release of a new flagship camera and phone—made the stunt feel calculated.. “They make some of the best cameras on the planet.. They know what a good photo looks like and doesn’t look like,” the user said.
Sony eventually tried to contain the damage.. A little over a day after the original post, the company returned to social media with a clarification.. “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,” the updated message said.
Even with that explanation, the numbers told a story about reach and frustration.. The original post racked up more than 11 million views and over 3,000 comments, and the mockery didn’t stop.. As of Friday. replies continued to swarm the thread. with at least one commenter declaring. “[Too] late. the meme train can’t be stopped.”
Sony Xperia AI Camera Assistant smartphone photography social media backlash memes engagement farming Carlos Pei Nothing