AI is quickly becoming present in all-new technology in one form or another, and there are many ways in which it can be utilized, it now seems artificial intelligence has made its way to the youngest generation toys.
Leading kids camera manufacturer myFirst has just announced the myFirst Camera 50, a new camera aimed at 5-12-year-olds that includes AI features.
myFirst has a track record of making some of the best kids' cameras on the market however its previous releases focus on photography first and foremost, with little to no bells and whistles, whereas the Camera 50 has them all.
The camera is equipped with a 20MP rear camera featuring a wide-angle lens and a 20mm macro lens, enabling the capture of wider scenes and intricate details. A new shutter has been introduced that enables half-press focusing, much like standard cameras enabling an easier experience when the inevitable step up to a more advanced camera.
In addition to the front camera, there is a selfie camera with adjustable LED lighting that offers three warm lighting modes.
The myFirst Camera 50 is super thin at just 80mm and lightweight weighing only 150g, ensuring it is manageable ergonomically for its tiny users. Constructed from PC ABS and TPU plastics it is shockproof, scratch-resistant, durable, and strong handling most drops and bumps with ease. It has a 16GB internal memory, and a microSD card slot to expand the number of stills and video you can recorded.
MyFirst states that the AI features of this camera aid with "turning everyday moments into creative masterpieces". AI assistance is used in curation and editing tools, enabling the enhancement of photographs and videos. Unlike what we may be used to in Photoshop and Luminar, to the best of my knowledge this does not mean retouching, but rather adding stickers, drawings, and voice notes.
"The AI intelligently analyses content, recognizing facial expressions, scenery, and colours, to create perfectly curated stories with minimal effort," we are told.
The design of the camera leans more towards that of a smartphone than a camera, and additional features also follow this trend. The myFirst Circle App enables kids to share their creations within a 'controlled environment', with full parental controls and added security, as this can also be used with the built-in Wi-fi.
myFirst Camera also aims to aid with children's mental health by adding a myDiary feature, which enables kids to record diary entries as a form of journaling. Also using AI to generate prompts and 'encourage self-expression'.
An AI camera for kids sounds worrying, but myFirst is billing this as a camera for a new generation of content creators. "This camera is designed to help the kids document their life and make it easier for video editing through our all new AI-assisted curation", says myFirst founder G-Yay Young. "We want to make it easier for the next generation storytellers to create content easily, share the content safely in a safe environment and express themselves with one click of a button."
The myFirst Camera 50 is available to preorder now for release on September 19, will cost $129.99 / £109 (Australian prices to be confirmed).
You may also be interested in our guides to the best kids' cameras, the best waterproof cameras, and the best selfie cameras.
