Cameras with AI, meaning automated functionality, have been around for a while, but those systems used to be finicky, clunky, and often prohibitively expensive. They were typically the first “nice-to-have” feature cut during budgeting. But that’s changing. Today, most cameras in the commercial AV market come with some level of built-in AI functionality, and many are designed to work within broader systems that push the capabilities of AI even further.
From Framing to Following: Smarter Single Cameras
A staple in most modern conference rooms is the auto-framing camera. These devices frame the image around participants, so remote attendees aren’t stuck looking at a single person lost in a wide, empty room. As people join or leave, the camera automatically adjusts its frame to include everyone present.
Advanced features now even include exclusion zones, so if there’s a glass wall beside your meeting room, the camera won’t try to include people simply walking by in the hallway. This creates a more consistent and focused experience for remote participants.
Cameras like the Huddly L1 are great examples of these smart, wide-angle AI-driven devices. Built specifically for small to medium meeting rooms, it uses neural networking to detect people and reframe automatically without the need for external control systems.
Tracking the Action: Presenter-Focused Solutions
Beyond framing, presenter tracking cameras are designed to follow a speaker as they move around the room. These typically front-facing cameras rely on facial recognition, body movement, or even audio cues to maintain focus on the presenter, great for training rooms or hybrid education setups.
The Crestron OneBeyond line exemplifies this functionality. Using multiple cameras and AI-based tracking, the system can lock onto and follow a presenter fluidly, adjusting as they walk around or engage with content. It’s a more natural alternative to the static front-of-room view, and completely hands-free.
The Multi-Camera Leap: AI-Driven Systems
We’re now seeing the next step: multi-camera AI systems that bring in additional layers of intelligence, like automatic switching between cameras based on who’s speaking or moving. These setups combine auto-framing, auto-tracking, and camera switching to deliver a studio-like experience for the far end.
Poly’s Studio X70, for example, offers dual-lens, 4K cameras with AI-driven speaker tracking and framing. It’s designed to make transitions seamless, letting conversations flow without the distraction of manual camera control.
Additionally, there is Zoom Room’s Intelligent Director, a software function that leverages multiple approved cameras in a Zoom Room to identify and frame individual participants more accurately. This is especially powerful in larger rooms or boardrooms, where a single camera just can’t do the job alone. Paired with supported hardware like Poly or Huddly cameras, Intelligent Director ensures each participant has their own shot, dynamically chosen and switched based on who’s speaking.
AI for the End User: Easy, Effective, and Invisible
The goal of these advancements isn’t to wow users with flashy tech, it’s to disappear into the background and let people focus on the meeting. Whether it’s automatically framing the group, following a presenter, or switching between camera angles for more dynamic interaction, today’s AI camera systems aim to make conferencing as seamless and human as possible, with little to no intervention required.
As these systems continue to improve, expect smarter collaboration spaces that feel more inclusive and intuitive, no matter where you’re joining from.
Looking to incorporate AI Cameras to elevate your meeting rooms? Contact us today for your free quote!
