December 7, 2022

Next Gen AI-Powered Webcams for Video Calls

Over the last few years, video calls and streaming have become a huge part of daily life for many people. Whether you’re taking part in video conferences at work, streaming video games for fun on Twitch or just keeping in touch with your family in your hometown, it’s never been more important to have a great webcam.

Some of the latest webcams are capable of more than just showing a blurry, pixelated face to far-off colleagues, fans or friends. They use artificial intelligence—or AI-powered features—to keep you perfectly in frame with the brightness, color and contrast levels properly adjusted. Let’s look at the best AI-powered webcams of 2022.

What can an AI-powered webcam do?

The world of AI features is fairly new to webcams. And while there isn’t a huge number of models to choose from, they’re the future. Even right now, they can do a lot to make video calling easier.

Some AI-powered features to look out for are:

Autofocus that tracks you even when you look away or move away from the camera.
Auto-framing and auto-tracking, which keeps you in the center of the shot regardless of how you move. Some cameras use software to do this, others use a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) gimbal.
Auto-exposure and lighting adjustment, which makes sure you always look well lit. AI-powered cameras can automatically tweak the brightness, contrast and even the color balance to make sure whatever lighting situation you’re in, you look professional and, simply put, your best.

Auto-blurring of the background and other distractions.
Gesture controls to perform simple functions like zoom control without pushing a button.

You should also look out for more great webcam features like 4K video footage, HDR mode, an adjustable field of view and built-in microphones.

What AI-powered webcams can I buy right now?

Lumina AI webcam is one of the best 4K webcams you can buy. Its intelligent autofocus and auto-tracking features will keep you in the center of every shot, and it can also automatically blur the background if you need to remove distractions. It has auto-exposure, or you can set up custom presets for different lighting conditions.

Obsbot Tiny is an AI-powered PTZ webcam. This means that instead of relying on software to keep you in the center of the shot, it can physically turn and track you as you move around the room. This makes it one of the best webcams for Zoom meetings, as you can give an actual presentation on a whiteboard rather than having to share your screen. It’s also one of the only gesture-controlled webcams you can buy at the moment.

Logitech StreamCam is designed to be one of the best webcams for video game streaming. It offers full HD 1080p streaming at 60 frames-per-second. Its smart autofocus and auto-framing are designed to keep you in focus and in the center of the shot, no matter how much you move around while you stream.

What AI webcams are coming in the future?

While there are only a few great AI-powered webcams available now, we can expect a lot more in the future. The features and control they offer are a serious upgrade from most regular webcams.

Also, AI features are starting to appear in video chat apps and other devices. Google is trying to improve how even bad webcams perform using AI, while Apple’s FaceTime has an AI feature that makes it look like you’re always maintaining eye contact. The iPad also has a feature called Center Stage that keeps you in the shot as you move around a room.

With AI powering the cameras, apps and devices we use, things are looking good for video calls to look even better in the next few years.

With all that said, the one thing these cameras can’t do? Make you look good if your internet connection is poor. If you’re stuck on a terrible connection, the lag and limited upload speeds can affect the quality of your video, especially if there are other people using your network. That’s why it’s so important to have a great broadband service like Gigabit fiber.

Frontier Fiber is built for the way you live today—and tomorrow

If you’re still on the lookout for the right ultra fast internet connection for streaming, gaming, working from home and running your smart home—all with enough bandwidth for everybody, find out about Frontier Fiber. Then check here to see when it’s available at your address.

Product features and availability may have changed and are subject to change.