The “Clips” Camera Just Might Be the Weirdest Product Ever 神奇的谷歌智能相机 Google’s Clips camera is a tiny sliver of a camera. You can set it down anywhere or clip it to anything. Once you turn it on, you do not have to press a button or use a self-timer ( 自拍定时器 ) to take pictures. The camera decides when to snap, based on Google’s AI algorithms ( 算法 ). The Clips solves some real problems for those who are always behind the camera. Babies and pets often stop whatever interesting things they are doing the moment you pull out your phone. They either get distracted by it or feel uncomfortable. The Clips, however, can avoid that problem because you are not holding the camera between your face and theirs. That said, I suspect the Clips will probably be a failure. The camera is not very impressive next to those in some smartphones, and $250 is a high price for a “one-trick pony.” The major problem lies in its central idea — AI as photographer. AI has to be programmed by engineers. In other words, it does not ultimately decide what makes a good picture; its programmers, informed by photography experts, do. Some of the AI’s decision- in the Clips is obvious. It looks for scenes of activity. It favors familiar subjects — people whose faces it sees most often. It avoids capturing an image when something is blocking the lens, like your fingers or your pet’s paws. It prefers good lighting, and takes its best shots 0.9 to 1.5 meters away. What makes things complicated is that the Clips is designed to wait for happy facial expressions. It tends not to capture anybody who is sad, angry, sleepy, bored or crying. That AI rule, unfortunately, rules out a lot of great picture taking. Let’s face it — a young child’s life is full of precious tragicomic ( 悲喜交加的 ) moments that might be worth recording, even if they produce brief bursts of tears. You know: His ice cream falls off the cone onto the floor; a puppy licks her face a little too energetically; a well-meaning ( 出于好心的 ) clown frightens him. With Google’s Clips camera, you will find yourself painting a picture of a flawless life. Then you may begin to wonder: Why do we take pictures in the first place? To create a faithful record of our lives? Is there anything wrong with celebrating only the bright spots? Answering those questions depends, in part, on who your audience is. There is no right answer. If Google’s Clips camera achieves nothing more than throwing those questions into sharper focus, its invention will not have been in vain ( 徒劳的 ). (节选自 S cientific A merican )