Insta360 is the major player in 360-degree panoramic cameras and is no stranger to innovation, also incubating the first 360-degree drone in 2025, the Antigravity A1.
In another first, Insta360 recently launched a compact dual-lens vlogging camera, the Luna Ultra, which is a Wall-E robot lookalike that shoots 8K video, with a detachable remote screen and mic.
And if a recent Weibo post from its founder and CEO Liu Jingkang, aka “JK,” is to be taken at face value, the company wants to lead us into a new camera era.
JK’s Weibo post was picked up by The New Camera and after translation, it reads:
“Our product vision is to build a “Cameraman” — an intelligent photography robot capable of automatically composing photos and capturing moments like a professional photographer, allowing users to stay completely immersed in the present.
“Today, AI is evolving rapidly, we believe that the cameraman’s “brain” is becoming more and more efficient, opening up new possibilities for creative imaging.
“In the long term, the ideal for cameras is to gradually become imperceptible, or even ‘disappear’, until recording no longer requires effort and becomes a natural part of life.”
The Luna Ultra already looks like a robot, and there’s a POV head-tracking accessory that syncs the camera with the movement of your head to film where you’re looking, somewhat automating its function.
Insta360 hopes fans will further caricature the Luna Ultra’s robotic features through a design competition with Bamboo laboratory, Also. But as a photographer and, frankly, a human being, JK’s post raises serious questions for me.
Isn’t photography a creative and human quest?
JK’s post implies that his company’s future photo equipment could be autonomous photographic “robots” capable of composing, taking and editing photos and videos on the fly, with little or no human involvement.
It’s like having your own intelligent cameraman and editor – a much more sophisticated portable “photo robot” than the recent Beni camera robot – who follows you around and is able to capture the moment while you enjoy it and put the best parts together into a reel, with the entire workflow dependent on AI.
To be honest, perhaps this imagined future seems better than the current reality: a future where people walk around, cameras in hand, filming themselves front and center, rather than being in the moment.
And certainly, when you’re dealing with 360-degree clips, a smart editor that can suggest where the action is happening at any point and piece together the edit appropriately for you is a huge time saver.
For Insta360 equipment in particular, JK’s vision for autonomous, intelligent cameras makes sense. But as a photographer and creative, I find the idea of a “robot” doing the work for me to be a bit lame. However, it’s the last part of JK’s post that concerns me more.
Is it really okay to record everything?
JK’s post describes an “end state for cameras” that gradually becomes “imperceptible” and “a natural part of life.” In other words, roving cameras that the public eventually gets used to, recording anything and everything. So what about consent?
Covert camera technology already poses privacy concerns, with a growing backlash against wearable cameras, particularly Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, after it was discovered that modders could disable the light that indicates the glasses are recording, and a fix had to be implemented.
Cameras are already commonplace in public places, especially tourist spots. But for the most part, they are controlled by people with a general idea of what can and cannot be photographed or recorded. And when someone crosses the line, it’s at least possible to ask them to stop filming. But in the future imagined by Insta360? Autonomous robots that film everything sound like a privacy nightmare.
I’ve asked Insta360 for comments and clarification on the post, specifically what exactly a smart photography robot looks like and how the company will address any associated privacy concerns, and will report back if I obtain further information.
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