Use ‘Anti-AI’ camera apps Zerocam and Hallide to keep your photos looking more natural
Artificial intelligence is Everywhere you look right now, moving in music streaming, social media, video games, search onlineand nearly every other technology sector. Nowadays, every time a new phone or laptop is launched, the first thing mentioned is always How many AIs does it have on board?.
AI’s reach also extends deeply into mobile photography. It starts with intelligent, algorithm-based adjustments to the color and brightness in your mobile photos. Now we’re working to include people in photos who weren’t actually there at the time—or alternatively, remove people and objects from the photos. Both Android and iOS also apply machine algorithms to make the colors in photos “pop” and add dynamism to the image.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can still find mobile camera apps that remove the AI and give control back to you, so photography is more about framing moments and scenes than any kind of AI spoofing. These are two of the best.
Zerocam
Zerocam proudly promotes its anti-AI properties, describing itself as “the simplest way to take photos” with the idea that it’s as close to an actual point-and-shoot camera as possible. The look is natural, realistic—the app actually shoots in RAW—and there’s no more artificial over-processing.
There’s really not much to say about how to use the app: You frame a photo and press the yellow shutter button (which has a rotating carousel of labels on it, including “zap” and “piu piu”). The only button left on the interface lets you control the zoom options, which will vary depending on the phone you’re using.
At first, it was a bit nerve-wracking to work with such a simple and minimal interface, but I found myself quickly getting used to it. It feels so freeing to just point and shoot without having to worry about anything else—and the Zerocam social media feeds is full of examples of great photos you can take with this app.
The app developers engaged their community and are currently running the “365 Challenge” to encourage users to take a snapshot every day. You can see the prompt if you set up the Zerocam widget on your home screen. You can also launch the app directly from the lock screen if you want.
