via Wired AI
Apple’s Camera Chief Believes AI Can Give You Superpowers
Apple’s senior director of camera and photos software, Jon McCormack, is optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence in photography. Speaking ahead of the release of iOS 27, McCormack explained that the new generative features in the Photos app are designed to enhance images by intelligently adding pixels where needed—but he emphasized that Apple is not using AI “for the sake of AI.”
In an interview with WIRED, McCormack discussed how the upcoming software update will leverage on-device machine learning to improve photo quality, particularly in challenging lighting conditions or when users need to reframe shots. “We think of AI as a tool that can give you superpowers,” he said. “It’s not about replacing the photographer; it’s about removing barriers and letting people capture the moment they intended.”
One of the key features in iOS 27 is a new AI-driven inpainting tool that can fill in missing details when a photo is cropped or when objects are removed. Unlike some competitors that rely on cloud-based processing, Apple’s approach keeps all computations on the device, ensuring privacy and reducing latency. McCormack noted that the company has spent years refining its neural engines to handle complex tasks like semantic segmentation and depth estimation without compromising performance.
“We’re not just adding AI because it’s trendy,” McCormack added. “Every feature we ship has to pass a strict test: does it genuinely improve the user’s experience? If the answer is no, we don’t do it.”
The update also introduces smarter editing suggestions, scene recognition that adapts to user preferences, and enhanced portrait mode capabilities that can adjust lighting and depth after capture. These features build on Apple’s long history of computational photography, from Smart HDR to Deep Fusion, but represent a significant leap toward generative AI in the camera pipeline.
As the tech industry races to integrate generative AI into consumer products, Apple’s cautious yet ambitious approach highlights its focus on utility and privacy. With iOS 27 set to launch later this year, users can expect a camera experience that feels both familiar and magically enhanced—all without sending their photos to the cloud.