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Your Webcam May Get a Whole Lot Smarter

And a good bit riskier, too

By Sascha Brodsky Sascha Brodsky Senior Tech Reporter Macalester College Columbia University Sascha Brodsky is a freelance journalist based in New York City. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times and many other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on January 13, 2022 10:10AM EST Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming

Key Takeaways

AI webcams offer features that can boost the sound and picture of your next video call.However, experts say that AI webcams bring a host of privacy risks. Smart webcams could even be used to remotely monitor the behavior of employees who are working from home. Robert Daly / Getty Images A new generation of AI-powered webcams could make your video calls better than ever, but they also bring privacy risks, experts say. The cameras, including those recently released by Anker and Remo Tech, use artificial intelligence (AI) to track users and ensure they are always in the center of the frame. There's also Owl Labs' Meeting Owl, a 360-degree webcam that uses AI to zoom in on whoever's speaking or moving automatically. "AI webcams are a lot smarter than the regular webcams people are used to," IT expert Robert Wolfe told Lifewire in an email interview. "Regular webcams can be low quality and require users to fiddle with them. AI webcams get rid of this pain with different features."

Look Good Feel Good

The new crop of AI-powered webcams claims to make you look your best during video calls. Anker's B600 Video Bar is a video conferencing toolkit. It's meant to sit on your monitor or TV and features a 2K sensor capable of 30 frames per second capture. The webcam also has an AI-powered zoom feature and image enhancement. The microphone uses an AI algorithm to make noisy environments sound quiet. The AnkerWork B600 is slated to launch in the US at the end of January for $219.99. Webcams with AI also support facial recognition software. "The cameras track who is speaking and automatically focus on them," Wolfe said. "This can be great for larger (noisier) groups since users won't have to ask who's speaking—the camera will show them." Chris Montgomery / Unsplash AI webcams promise to be auto adjustable. The environment limits the image quality in a standard webcam the user is in. "However, manufacturers say they're developing software that lets the AI webcams automatically adjust their settings to suit the conditions," Wolfe added. "AI webcams can more effectively and efficiently identify and distinguish people, animals, and objects within a viewing area, create rules identifying acceptable behavior within a viewing area and minimize false positives with respect to how those rules are applied," privacy lawyer Steven G. Stransky told Lifewire in an email interview. "With these enhanced detection capabilities, AI webcams create a better overall user experience."

Who s Watching

As great as the features on the AI webcams sound, they also bring increased privacy risks, David Moody, a senior associate at Schellman, a security and privacy compliance firm, told Lifewire in an email interview. The new wave of intelligent webcams can autonomously track movements, respond to motion, focus on activities, recognize and identify shapes, and read visible text. Multiple AI webcams could even be used to simultaneously follow the movements of more than one person through a building or the streets. "Both the breadth and depth of these activities go well beyond the traditional statutory and regulatory definitions of privacy," Moody said. "These definitions may require some updating in the future to better reflect what constitutes privacy in our society and communities." Smart webcams could even be used to remotely monitor the behavior of employees who are working from home. For example, Teleperformance's in-house webcam security system, called TP Observer, uses facial recognition software to do things like detecting if a user is "missing from a desk," "detecting an idle user," and "unauthorized mobile phone usage." Like regular webcams, It's not just the user who's getting recorded on an AI-powered webcam, Stransky pointed out. "In addition to capturing the activities of a targeted individual, an AI webcam can be used to record anything, and everything said or done by a nearby person, such as a co-worker, family member, or random stranger who happens to be nearby or accidentally walks into the camera's frame," he said. "These third parties may not have knowledge of or consent to the recording." Since AI webcams can capture and record large volumes of personal information, a security breach involving AI webcam data creates significant identity theft risks, Stransky said. Data stolen from an AI webcam could provide criminals with photographs of users and their surroundings and even specific details about their computer activities, such as keystrokes used to enter usernames and passwords. "People spend hours in front of AI webcams every single day, and their lives are being recorded at an unparalleled level," Stransky said. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire The 5 Best Webcams of 2022 Digital Assistants in the Metaverse Might Be Better Conversationalists Mobile Technology: AI in Phones Do Kids Need Amazon's New Glow Gadget? Your Next Flight Might Be More On-Time Thanks to AI AI May Soon Be Able to Read Your Emotions Your Next Favorite Actor May Be Powered By Artificial Intelligence—Here's Why AI Advances Could Help Fight Wildfires Faster Dell’s New Webcam Wants to Replace Your DSLR How YouTube Leads the Way to Better Kids' Content Why AI Needs to Be Regulated Soon, Your Phone’s Camera Might Always Be Watching You Artificial Intelligence Isn't Taking Over Anytime Soon, Right? How AI Keeps Tabs on the Elderly Smartphones Could Save Lives by Monitoring Car Crashes AI-Powered Gun Scanners Could Help Fight Crime Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies