Runway is going to let people generate video games with AI
This week, I was granted access to a new interactive gaming experience that Runway plans to make available to everyone as soon as next week, according to CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela. The consumer-facing product is currently quite barebones, with a chat interface that supports only text and image generation, but Valenzuela says that generated video games are coming later this year. He says that Runway is also in talks with gaming companies about both using its technology and accessing their datasets for training.
Based on his recent conversations, Valenzuela believes the gaming industry is in a similar position to Hollywood when it was first introduced to generative AI. There was considerable resistance, but over time, AI has been gradually adopted in more areas of the production process. Valenzuela says Amazon's recent show, House of David, was made in part with Runway's technology, and that his company is working with 'pretty much every major studio' and 'most of the Fortune 100 companies.'
'If we can help a studio make a movie 40 percent faster, then we're probably gonna be able to help developers of games make games faster,' he says. 'They're waking up, and they're moving faster than I would say the studios were moving two years ago.'
Naturally, I couldn't let Valenzuela get off our Zoom call without asking him about his recent acquisition talks with Zuckerberg: 'I think we have more interesting intellectual challenges being independent, and remaining independent for now.'
This story was first published in Command Line.
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NiCE Reports 12% Year-Over-Year Cloud Revenue Growth for the Second Quarter 2025 and Raises Full-Year 2025 EPS Guidance
Company exceeds high end of Q2 2025 total revenue guidance range Double-digit year-over-year EPS growth HOBOKEN, N.J., August 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NiCE (NASDAQ: NICE) today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, as compared to the corresponding periods of the previous year. Second Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights GAAP Non-GAAP Total revenue was $726.7 million and increased 9% Total revenue was $726.7 million and increased 9% Cloud revenue was $540.8 million and increased 12% Cloud revenue was $540.8 million and increased 12% Operating income was $160.6 million and increased 25% Operating income was $219.7 million and increased 9% Operating margin was 22.1% compared to 19.4% last year Operating margin was 30.2% compared to 30.4% last year Diluted EPS was $2.96 and increased 69% Diluted EPS was $3.01 and increased 14% "We're pleased to report another strong quarter, with total revenue reaching $727 million—surpassing the high end of our guidance range—and earnings per share of $3.01 at the top of the expected range," said Scott Russell, CEO of NiCE. This performance was driven by continued strength in our cloud business, which grew 12% year-over-year. A key catalyst behind this momentum is the accelerating demand for AI and self-service solutions, with annual recurring revenue in this part of our business rising an impressive 42% compared to the same period last year. Mr. Russell continued, "AI is at the core of our strategy, and we are at the forefront of the AI-first transformation in the customer experience market. And this is just the beginning. Our momentum is set to accelerate further with the upcoming integration of Cognigy's industry-leading CX-AI conversational and agentic capabilities upon closing of the transaction, enabling us to deliver truly human-like, AI-first customer experiences on CXone Mpower. Our continued leadership in AI innovation is powered by our solid financial foundation, strong profitability, and robust balance sheet, as well as a growing number of strategic partnerships secured over the past six months." GAAP Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter Ended June 30: Revenues:Second quarter 2025 total revenues increased 9% year over year to $726.7 million compared to $664.4 million for the second quarter of 2024. Gross Profit:Second quarter 2025 gross profit was $485.1 million compared to $439.6 million for the second quarter of 2024. Second quarter 2025 gross margin was 66.8% compared to 66.2% for the second quarter of 2024. Operating Income:Second quarter 2025 operating income increased 25% to $160.6 million compared to $128.8 million for the second quarter of 2024. Second quarter 2025 operating margin was 22.1% compared to 19.4% for the second quarter of 2024. Net Income:Second quarter 2025 net income increased 62% to $187.4 million compared to $115.8 million for the second quarter of 2024. Second quarter 2025 net income margin was 25.8% compared to 17.4% for the second quarter of 2024. Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share:Second quarter 2025 fully diluted earnings per share increased 69% to $2.96 compared to $1.76 in the second quarter of 2024. Cash Flow and Cash Balance:Second quarter 2025 operating cash flow was $61.3 million and $30.8 million was used for share repurchases. As of June 30, 2025, total cash and cash equivalents, and short-term investments were $1,631.7 million. Our debt, was $459.6 million, resulting in net cash and investments of $1,172.0 million. Non-GAAP Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter June 30: Revenues:Second quarter 2025 non-GAAP total revenues increased 9% year over year to $726.7 million compared to $664.4 million for the second quarter of 2024. Gross Profit:Second quarter 2025 non-GAAP gross profit increased to $503.9 million compared to $469.4 million for the second quarter of 2024. Second quarter 2025 non-GAAP gross margin was 69.3% compared to 70.7% for the second quarter of 2024. 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A live webcast and replay will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company's website. To access, please register by clicking here: Explanation of Non-GAAP measuresNon-GAAP financial measures are included in this press release. Non-GAAP financial measures consist of GAAP financial measures adjusted to exclude share-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition related and other expenses, amortization of discount on debt and the tax effect of the Non-GAAP adjustments. The Company believes that these Non-GAAP financial measures, used in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures, provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business. We believe Non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors as a measure of the ongoing performance of our business. Our management regularly uses our supplemental Non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and to make financial, strategic and operating decisions. These Non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. Our Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. These Non-GAAP financial measures may differ materially from the Non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliation between results on a GAAP and Non-GAAP basis is provided in a table immediately following the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company provides guidance only on a Non-GAAP basis. A reconciliation of guidance from a GAAP to Non-GAAP basis is not available due to the unpredictability and uncertainty associated with future events that would be reported in GAAP results and would require adjustments between GAAP and Non-GAAP financial measures, including the impact of future possible business acquisitions. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the guidance based on Non-GAAP financial measures to corresponding GAAP financial measures for future periods is not available without unreasonable effort. About NiCENiCE (NASDAQ: NICE) is transforming the world with AI that puts people first. Our purpose-built AI-powered platforms automate engagements into proactive, safe, intelligent actions, empowering individuals and organizations to innovate and act, from interaction to resolution. Trusted by organizations throughout 150+ countries worldwide, NiCE's platforms are widely adopted across industries connecting people, systems, and workflows to work smarter at scale, elevating performance across the organization, delivering proven measurable outcomes. Trademark Note: NiCE and the NiCE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NiCE trademarks, please see: Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "seek", "may", "will", "intend", "should", "project", "anticipate", "plan", and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the Company's management regarding the future of the Company's business, performance, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economic environment, and other future conditions. Examples of forward-looking statements include guidance regarding the Company's revenue and earnings and the growth of our cloud, analytics and artificial intelligence business. Forward looking statements are inherently subject to significant uncertainties, contingencies, and risks, including, economic, competitive and other factors, which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of management. The Company cautions that these statements are not guarantees of future performance, and investors should not place undue reliance on them. There are or will be important known and unknown factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors, include, but are not limited to, risks associated with changes in economic and business conditions, competition, successful execution of the Company's growth strategy, success and growth of the Company's cloud Software-as-a-Service business, difficulties in making additional acquisitions or effectively integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel, the Company's dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners, rapid changes in technology and market requirements, the implementation of AI capabilities in certain products and services; decline in demand for the Company's products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, loss of market share, cyber security attacks or other security incidents, privacy concerns and legislation impacting the Company's business, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, the effects of additional tax liabilities resulting from our global operations, the effect of unexpected events or geo-political conditions, including those arising from political instability or armed conflict that may disrupt our business and the global economy, our ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products, and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). You are encouraged to carefully review the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our latest Annual Report on Form 20-F and our other filings with the SEC for additional information regarding these and other factors and uncertainties that could affect our future performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS U.S. dollars in thousands June 30, December 31, 2025 2024 Unaudited Audited ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 535,050 $ 481,712 Short-term investments 1,096,638 1,139,996 Trade receivables 680,963 643,985 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 223,409 239,080 Total current assets 2,536,060 2,504,773 LONG-TERM ASSETS: Property and equipment, net 186,141 185,292 Deferred tax assets 243,665 219,232 Other intangible assets, net 191,613 231,346 Operating lease right-of-use assets 68,783 93,083 Goodwill 1,866,226 1,849,668 Prepaid expenses and other long-term assets 217,200 212,512 Total long-term assets 2,773,628 2,791,133 TOTAL ASSETS $ 5,309,688 $ 5,295,906 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Trade payables $ 81,624 $ 110,603 Deferred revenues and advances from customers 355,944 299,367 Current maturities of operating leases 12,516 12,554 Debt 459,639 458,791 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 473,317 593,109 Total current liabilities 1,383,040 1,474,424 LONG-TERM LIABILITIES: Deferred revenues and advances from customers 66,645 66,289 Operating leases 66,879 92,258 Deferred tax liabilities 1,574 1,965 Other long-term liabilities 60,306 57,807 Total long-term liabilities 195,404 218,319 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Nice Ltd's equity 3,731,244 3,589,742 Non-controlling interests - 13,421 Total shareholders' equity 3,731,244 3,603,163 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 5,309,688 $ 5,295,906 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME U.S. dollars in thousands (except per share amounts) Quarter ended Year ended June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Revenue: Cloud $ 540,822 $ 481,693 $ 1,067,145 $ 950,099 Services 140,480 147,611 280,683 296,524 Product 45,410 35,096 79,076 77,086 Total revenue 726,712 664,400 1,426,904 1,323,709 Cost of revenue: Cloud 185,971 170,702 365,445 340,680 Services 48,254 46,663 94,497 92,749 Product 7,376 7,418 13,739 14,023 Total cost of revenue 241,601 224,783 473,681 447,452 Gross profit 485,111 439,617 953,223 876,257 Operating expenses: Research and development, net 89,762 86,522 178,864 174,354 Selling and marketing 169,799 157,645 331,233 312,660 General and administrative 64,958 66,626 134,365 138,980 Total operating expenses 324,519 310,793 644,462 625,994 Operating income 160,592 128,824 308,761 250,263 Financial and other income, net (14,820 ) (15,645 ) (30,670 ) (29,654 ) Income before tax 175,412 144,469 339,431 279,917 Taxes on income (11,992 ) 28,684 22,737 57,759 Net income $ 187,404 $ 115,785 $ 316,694 $ 222,158 Earnings per share: Basic $ 3.01 $ 1.82 $ 5.05 $ 3.50 Diluted $ 2.96 $ 1.76 $ 4.97 $ 3.36 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 62,160 63,534 62,754 63,406 Diluted 63,210 65,856 63,785 66,192 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENTS U.S. dollars in thousands Quarter ended Year ended June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Operating Activities Net income $ 187,404 $ 115,785 $ 316,694 $ 222,158 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 44,612 51,520 88,053 103,280 Share-based compensation 37,310 42,226 80,647 86,630 Amortization of premium and discount and accrued interest on marketable securities (2,029 ) (2,096 ) (4,304 ) (3,328 ) Deferred taxes, net (3,757 ) (15,773 ) (25,294 ) (11,407 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Trade Receivables, net (30,742 ) (6,707 ) (26,064 ) 1,430 Prepaid expenses and other current assets (14,846 ) 1,740 13,709 10,501 Operating lease right-of-use assets 2,929 3,372 8,826 6,653 Trade payables 21,884 17,702 (31,407 ) 6,939 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (158,979 ) (40,836 ) (109,461 ) (43,704 ) Deferred revenue (19,719 ) 4,742 49,855 50,281 Operating lease liabilities (746 ) (3,976 ) (10,935 ) (7,776 ) Amortization of discount on long-term debt 428 425 849 974 Other (2,427 ) 1,544 (4,775 ) 1,527 Net cash provided by operating activities 61,322 169,668 346,393 424,158 Investing Activities Purchase of property and equipment (4,579 ) (6,455 ) (8,246 ) (16,976 ) Purchase of Investments (24,687 ) (105,991 ) (74,141 ) (437,113 ) Proceeds from sales of marketable investments 76,416 51,971 134,774 568,121 Capitalization of internal use software costs (18,137 ) (15,238 ) (34,903 ) (31,174 ) Payments for business acquisitions, net of cash acquired - - (36,466 ) - Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 29,013 (75,713 ) (18,982 ) 82,858 Financing Activities Proceeds from issuance of shares upon exercise of options 333 520 1,008 2,312 Purchase of treasury shares (30,839 ) (146,088 ) (283,168 ) (187,603 ) Dividends paid to noncontrolling interest - - - (2,681 ) Repayment of debt - - - (87,435 ) Net cash used in financing activities (30,506 ) (145,568 ) (282,160 ) (275,407 ) Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents 5,139 (1,309 ) 6,286 (3,248 ) Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 64,968 (52,922 ) 51,537 228,361 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period $ 471,601 $ 794,597 $ 485,032 $ 513,314 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period $ 536,569 $ 741,675 $ 536,569 $ 741,675 Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported in the consolidated balance sheet: Cash and cash equivalents $ 535,050 $ 739,556 $ 535,050 $ 739,556 Restricted cash included in other current assets $ 1,519 $ 2,119 $ 1,519 $ 2,119 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in the statement of cash flows $ 536,569 $ 741,675 $ 536,569 $ 741,675 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS U.S. dollars in thousands (except per share amounts) Quarter ended Year to date June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 GAAP revenues $ 726,712 $ 664,400 $ 1,426,904 $ 1,323,709 Non-GAAP revenues $ 726,712 $ 664,400 $ 1,426,904 $ 1,323,709 GAAP cost of revenue $ 241,601 $ 224,783 $ 473,681 $ 447,452 Amortization of acquired intangible assets on cost of cloud (13,202 ) (24,133 ) (28,605 ) (49,500 ) Amortization of acquired intangible assets on cost of product - (150 ) - (410 ) Cost of cloud revenue adjustment (1,2) (3,293 ) (2,852 ) (6,471 ) (5,854 ) Cost of services revenue adjustment (1) (2,241 ) (2,617 ) (4,696 ) (4,995 ) Cost of product revenue adjustment (1) (21 ) (30 ) (43 ) (60 ) Non-GAAP cost of revenue $ 222,844 $ 195,001 $ 433,866 $ 386,633 GAAP gross profit $ 485,111 $ 439,617 $ 953,223 $ 876,257 Gross profit adjustments 18,757 29,782 39,815 60,819 Non-GAAP gross profit $ 503,868 $ 469,399 $ 993,038 $ 937,076 GAAP operating expenses $ 324,519 $ 310,793 $ 644,462 $ 625,994 Research and development (1,2) (3,178 ) (7,484 ) (7,871 ) (15,627 ) Sales and marketing (1,2) (13,258 ) (13,210 ) (28,672 ) (27,382 ) General and administrative (1,2) (16,924 ) (17,429 ) (36,482 ) (37,260 ) Amortization of acquired intangible assets (6,956 ) (4,972 ) (11,649 ) (10,211 ) Valuation adjustment on acquired deferred commission - 8 - 23 Non-GAAP operating expenses $ 284,203 $ 267,706 $ 559,788 $ 535,537 GAAP financial and other income, net $ (14,820 ) $ (15,645 ) $ (30,670 ) $ (29,654 ) Amortization of discount on debt (428 ) (425 ) (849 ) (974 ) Change in fair value of contingent consideration - (35 ) - (79 ) Non-GAAP financial and other income, net $ (15,248 ) $ (16,105 ) $ (31,519 ) $ (30,707 ) GAAP taxes on income $ (11,992 ) $ 28,684 $ 22,737 $ 57,759 Tax adjustments re non-GAAP adjustments 56,627 14,963 66,720 28,779 Non-GAAP taxes on income $ 44,635 $ 43,647 $ 89,457 $ 86,538 GAAP net income $ 187,404 $ 115,785 $ 316,694 $ 222,158 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 20,158 29,255 40,254 60,121 Valuation adjustment on acquired deferred commission - (8 ) - (23 ) Share-based compensation (1) 38,915 43,622 83,840 89,266 Acquisition related and other expenses (2) - - 395 1,912 Amortization of discount on debt 428 425 849 974 Change in fair value of contingent consideration - 35 - 79 Tax adjustments re non-GAAP adjustments (56,627 ) (14,963 ) (66,720 ) (28,779 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 190,278 $ 174,151 $ 375,312 $ 345,708 GAAP diluted earnings per share $ 2.96 $ 1.76 $ 4.97 $ 3.36 Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share $ 3.01 $ 2.64 $ 5.88 $ 5.22 Shares used in computing GAAP diluted earnings per share 63,210 65,856 63,785 66,192 Shares used in computing non-GAAP diluted earnings per share 63,210 65,856 63,785 66,192 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS (continued) U.S. dollars in thousands (1) Share-based compensation Quarter ended Year to date June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Cost of cloud revenue $ 3,293 $ 2,852 $ 6,471 $ 5,792 Cost of services revenue 2,241 2,617 4,696 4,995 Cost of product revenue 21 30 43 60 Research and development 3,178 7,484 7,871 15,297 Sales and marketing 13,258 13,210 28,672 26,739 General and administrative 16,924 17,429 36,087 36,383 $ 38,915 $ 43,622 $ 83,840 $ 89,266 (2) Acquisition related and other expenses Quarter ended Year to date June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Cost of cloud revenue $ - $ - $ - $ 62 Research and development - - - 330 Sales and marketing - - - 643 General and administrative - - 395 877 $ - $ - $ 395 $ 1,912 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME TO NON-GAAP EBITDA U.S. dollars in thousands Quarter ended Year to date June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited GAAP net income $ 187,404 $ 115,785 $ 316,694 $ 222,158 Non-GAAP adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 44,612 51,520 88,053 103,280 Share-based compensation 37,310 42,226 80,647 86,630 Financial and other expense/ (income), net (14,820 ) (15,645 ) (30,670 ) (29,654 ) Acquisition related and other expenses - - 395 1,912 Valuation adjustment on acquired deferred commission - (8 ) - (23 ) Taxes on income (11,992 ) 28,684 22,737 57,759 Non-GAAP EBITDA $ 242,514 $ 222,562 $ 477,856 $ 442,062 NICE LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION - FREE CASH FLOW FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS U.S. dollars in thousands Quarter ended Year to date June 30, June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Net cash provided by operating activities $ 61,322 $ 169,668 $ 346,393 $ 424,158 Purchase of property and equipment (4,579 ) (6,455 ) (8,246 ) (16,976 ) Capitalization of internal use software costs (18,137 ) (15,238 ) (34,903 ) (31,174 ) Free Cash Flow (a) $ 38,606 $ 147,975 $ 303,244 $ 376,008 (a) Free cash flow from continuing operations is defined as operating cash flows from continuing operations less capital expenditures of the continuing operations and less capitalization of internal use software costs. View source version on Contacts Investor Relations Contact Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ir@ ETOmri Arens, +972 3 763-0127, ir@ CET Corporate Media Contact Christopher Irwin-Dudek, +1 201 561 4442, media@ ET
Newsweek
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'New Heights' Address Taylor Swift Podcast 'Glitch'
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- CNET
Apple, I'm Begging You, Don't Let AI Ruin the iPhone 17's Camera
AI has become an expected part of every new phone launching in 2025 and not just in the form of Gemini Live or Circle to Search. The cameras on many phones have AI baked deep into the heart of the experience too. I was taken aback by the Honor 400 Pro's image-to-video AI tool when it brought my dad back to life, while the Pixel 9 Pro focused more on generative AI to add new elements to your Images or even create new scenes out of nowhere. But the iPhones have always focused first and foremost on delivering some of the best image quality you can get in a camera phone, and as a professional photographer I want to see that same dedication to taking better photos when the iPhone 17 launches in September. It's not that I don't like AI. I do, when it's applied properly. I like ChatGPT's and Google Gemini's ability to answer questions in a conversational way, I like Adobe's use of AI for object removal in Photoshop and as a horror movie fan I'm genuinely excited about the terrifying visions I've seen created using AI. But AI can also be a crutch for mobile companies to lean on in order to make up for shortfalls elsewhere. I liked the Pixel 9 Pro, but its camera hardware hadn't been changed since the last model. The new generative AI tools became the new imaging-focused features for the upgrade. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra's camera blew me away with its variable aperture that created stunning starbursts in night time images. And yet the more recent 15 Ultra ditched that in favor of software alternatives that simply don't offer the same results. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra had an amazing variable aperture built into its camera, but on the more recent Xiaomi 15 Ultra that was replaced with a "software solution" that simply didn't do the same thing. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Apple's iPhones have always impressed with their image quality. Back in 2019 I took the iPhone 11 Pro on a photography road trip instead of my usual Canon DSLR, and I frequently use my iPhone 16 Pro as my professional camera when carrying a bigger setup isn't feasible. Apple's image quality is top notch, with the phones typically producing natural image tones and less heavy-handed image processing than many of its rivals, resulting in authentic looking images. Its ProRaw image format and ProRes and Log video codecs are aimed at getting the best quality from the cameras. Apple has invested in core image quality technologies, not simply used AI to make up for any hardware shortcomings. It's why Apple has won the hearts of creatives the world over and why the iPhone is often seen as one of, if not the best camera phones for professional or enthusiastic photo and video shooters. And I'm not saying the iPhone occupies some AI-free utopia. Apple has been a pioneer in applying machine learning to overcome limitations of tiny smartphone cameras, such as its Deep Fusion imaging technology that captures multiple exposures and blends them into a final, evenly-exposed image. And I suppose to a lesser extent its Portrait Lighting tool from 2017's iPhone 8 that used depth maps and algorithms to create artificial lighting effects. But these are arguably tools to enhance an existing image, and I'm worried that the next iPhone's camera will be all about how you can generate entirely new scenes without even having to step outside your house. The huge rise in popularity of compact cameras shows that people still care about taking real photos. Geoffrey Morrison/CNET The rise in popularity of dedicated compact cameras such as the Fujifilm X100 VI and the continued resurgence in the popularity of film photography has shown that the creative world still demands authentic photography. Real cameras taking real moments with your real friends. Actual sunset colors casting across golden sandy beaches, not an AI's generic interpretation of what a beach looks like. AI has its place and I'm braced for Apple's September event to be extremely AI-focused. As AI seeps deeper into our phone experience and Apple pushes on with its AI strategy, I'm concerned that the company could make rash decisions with its imaging experience in order to try and justify the existence of Apple Intelligence. But this shouldn't come at the expense of core image quality, so I also want to hear about how I can take the iPhone 17 deep into the heart of my home country of Scotland and take the most beautiful photos of the incredible landscape in front of me.
