Jobin Joejoe, Managing Director of Sony Middle East and Africa, highlights that Sony is integrating AI into its consumer electronics, such as BRAVIA TVs and Alpha cameras, enhancing user experience through advanced processors and sound technology. This strategy strengthens Sony’s leadership in digital imaging and entertainment.
How is Sony integrating AI into its consumer electronics lineup, and what specific benefits does this bring to users?
As a creative entertainment company, embracing new ideas and technologies has always been a priority for Sony. We will continue to define our strategy and expectations to achieve exceptional results and get closer to our customers. To further support this, we have intentionally and stretgically curated products such as the ILCE -7RM5 – an AI processing unit specifically dedicated to processing significant amounts of data to enable more accurate recognition of subjects and recognition of a wider range of subject types in various situations providing accurate subject picture quality and stills. It is through these developments that at present Sony stands as a market leader in the digital imaging industry.
Can you share examples of how AI is enhancing the user experience in Sony products like TVs, cameras, or audio devices?
As I briefly touched upon earlier, all our strategies for this region are planned to cater to the needs of this region. We look at the dynamics and focus areas within the various segments and then decide the route to market. Noticing the receptance of the consumers in this region to adopting new technologies, this year we are bringing the same enthralling experience with our BRAVIA TV and BRAVIA Theatre lineup.
Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR, allows BRAVIA TVs to analyse content and recreate it the same way humans see and hear in the real world. Other notable AI advancements include DSEE Extreme, which incorporates Sony’s unique sensing technology to transform sound quality.
What challenges has Sony encountered while developing AI-driven features for consumer electronics, and how have you addressed them?
Our BRAVIA Theatre home audio products is equipped with Sony developed AI technology, AI Sound Separation. This technology makes it possible to remove unnecessary noise from audio data and to extract just the vocals or other specific instruments leaving background music and ambient sounds unchanged. This was originally considered to be an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish but thanks to Sony’s advancement in using neural networks and AI data, it has improved dramatically.
How does Sony balance innovation in AI with ensuring user privacy and data security, especially in devices that gather personal information?
At Sony, we empower creators to express themselves in new ways by adopting new technologies and ideas empowering all genres of content creation to get closer to our customers and drive overall growth and innovation. To further support the growth of the content creation segment, last year we also introduced various firmware updates to ensure the authenticity of images and protect creators with Sony’s in-camera digital signature technology that signs images in real time. Through these updates, we are able to solidify our commitment to technology developments and preserve the authenticity of local content creators through an added layer of protection.
What role does AI play in Sony’s future product development strategy, and how do you envision it shaping the next generation of consumer electronics?
While we cannot comment on Sony’s future product development strategy, I can proudly say we will continue our efforts to better understand our customers and bring cutting edge technology products to cater to their demands.
How does Sony ensure that AI-driven features are accessible and intuitive for a wide range of consumers, including those who may not be tech-savvy?
Sony’s diverse portfolio across movies, pictures, gaming, and animation enables us to deliver solutions combining best-in-class technologies across our offerings in imaging sensors, Alpha mirrorless cameras, lenses, motion capture and production capabilities in virtual space for cinema professionals. Our latest launch being Alpha 9 III – the world’s first full-frame image sensor camera with a global shutter system, capturing the moment in real-time. To meet the increasing and diverse demands of our customers, Sony has introduced 25 camera systems and over 75 lenses, making us the largest producer of lenses in the mirrorless segment and further support all levels of content creation.
Can you discuss any partnerships or collaborations Sony is pursuing to advance AI capabilities in its consumer electronics?
Sony collaborates with various technology and academic partners to advance its AI capabilities. For example, its partnership with Microsoft focuses on leveraging cloud-based AI and machine learning to enhance user experiences across devices. Sony also works with other leading tech firms and research institutions to innovate in AI development, aiming to bring cutting-edge solutions to market faster while ensuring high standards of quality and safety.
How is Sony using AI to differentiate its products in a highly competitive market, and what sets Sony’s AI innovations apart from those of its competitors?
Sony leverages AI to differentiate its products by focusing on enhancing user experience and product quality.
Innovations like the Cognitive Processor XR in Sony BRAVIA TVs, which mimics human cognitive processes to optimize picture and sound set against consumer taste and preferences. We have placed great emphasis on intuitive, user centered AI applications and at present aim to stand as a market leader across all segments.
What steps is Sony taking to ensure that AI in consumer electronics is ethically developed and used responsibly?
We are committed to ethical AI development, guided by principles that prioritize transparency, fairness, and privacy. Sony actively works on eliminating bias from AI algorithms by diversifying training data and rigorously testing for fairness.
Every effort is taken to ensure that AI technologies comply with local and international regulations on data protection and ethical standards. By engaging with stakeholders and experts in AI ethics, Sony strives to foster responsible AI usage across its product lineup.
How does Sony approach the ongoing AI evolution in consumer electronics, and what emerging trends do you think will significantly impact the industry?
Sony is at the forefront of AI evolution and has been continuously innovating and integrating AI across its product range. Emerging trends like edge AI, which enables processing on the device rather than in the cloud, and AI-driven content creation are likely to impact the industry significantly. Sony aims to leverage these trends to enhance product functionality, improve user experiences, and maintain its leadership in the rapidly evolving consumer electronics landscape.
