About this episode
What if you could retake your favorite memories years after they happened, fixing the lighting, catching the smile, or even opening your eyes? In this conversation, a16z General Partner Martin Casado and Partner Yoko Li sit down with scientist and Lytro founder Ren Ng along with Phota Labs cofounders Cecilia Zhang and Zhihao “Zach” Xia to explore the past, present, and future of computational photography. They trace the story from the invention of light-field cameras and the evolution of smartphone photography to today’s AI powered retakes that preserve identity and context in ways filters never could. Together they reflect on how AI is changing what it means to capture a moment, why authenticity matters as much as aesthetics, and how the future of photography may no longer depend on a lens at all but on models that know you. Resources : Find Cecilia on GitHub: https://ceciliavision.github.io/ Find Zach on GitHub: https://likesum.github.io/ Find Ren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renng Find Yoko on X: https://x.com/stuffyokodraws Find Martin on X: https://x.com/martin_casado Timecodes: 00:00 The Decisive Moment in Photography 00:33 Introduction to Computational Photography 01:05 Personal Histories and Connections 02:27 Evolution of Computational Photography 04:15 The Birth of Light Field Photography 07:28 From Hardware to Software Innovations 08:52 Founding of Photo Labs 11:10 Generative AI in Photography 13:54 The Future of Photography 14:47 Personalized Visual Gen AI 16:27 User Reactions and Real-World Applications 17:44 Technical Innovations and Challenges 24:11 New Use Cases and Exciting Prospects 25:34 The Essence of Slide Photography 26:16 The Future of Photography: Generative AI 28:58 Authenticity in Photography 32:11 Generative AI and User Behavior 34:39 The Impact of Generative AI on Photography 37:02 The Evolution of Photography Styles 46:20 The Future of Computational Photography Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here , including articles, projects, and more podcasts. Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.