Samsung's photo remastering raises concerns

Samsung's camera abilities are being questioned once again as recently a user revealed that the "remaster" feature added teeth to their seven-month-old child.

According to a report from The Verge, a reader bought the new Samsung S23 Ultra smartphone and decided to try the Remaster feature on one of their seven-month-old child's photos. They expected adjustments that would enhance the photo and maybe add a couple of filters or change some of the settings. However, the results were shocking as the AI-powered feature added a full row of teeth, as seen below.

This is how gross Remastering is on the @SamsungMobile @Samsung #S23Ultra #SamsungS23Ultra. AI casually adding teeth to a 7 month old baby. NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS! pic.twitter.com/X9WUHWS2Hr

— Apricot Lennon ?? (@earcity) March 22, 2023

The Remaster feature enhanced the photo by adding and deleting a couple of things to make it look better. However, it turned the reader's seven-month-old child's tongue into a full row of teeth. The reader also provided another video of AI recognizing the child's tongue as teeth, stating that it is not a one-time glitch. Samsung's definition on the official website says, "Remastering removes shadows and reflections automatically to make your pictures look great. You can also remaster GIFs for better resolution and clarity," which doesn't mention anything related to AI or deep-learning.

If you want to try the Remaster tool, simply go to your Gallery, Samsung's own photo-viewing app, and you can find it over there. On a side note, none of the other users encountered a similar issue.

Second controversy after "fake moon"

Recently, Samsung's "fake moon" controversies have been all over the internet, especially on Reddit. After various concerns, the company had to make an announcement on its official blog spot detailing how its AI-powered zoom feature works.

Even after the announcement, most people weren't convinced and defended their opinions by accusing Samsung of false marketing. That debate is still not over yet, as the tech giant's blog post wasn't really convincing.

Of course, there is a huge difference between the fake moon photos and the child's photos. The reader also added this is "far more disturbing than a faked moonshot if you ask me." Now, it looks like the AI behind "remaster" also needs an update or a different perspective. 

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