Your next webcam is already in your pocket

In 2010, 350 billion digital photos were taken. In 2020, we will capture 1.4 trillion. Of the top-ten free apps on the App Store, five treat the camera as the central object. Two others (Facebook and Messenger) rely on the content produced by cameras, though less directly.

Like the introduction of the personal camera, it is easy to imagine a near future scenario in which all amateur and professional workflows across creative industries are augmented by these tools, helping people to more clearly depict what is in their mind through common language and an ever expanding training corpus.

It will still require skill to make high-quality art. Even with an iPhone in 1.2 billion hands, many people are still really, really bad photographers. iPhones can now be used to make feature-length motion pictures that nearly mirror in quality films shot on expensive professional equipment. But you still need to be a talented director to make some... See more