There is no going back when it comes to generative AI that forever shakes our trust in photography, but the tech industry has a responsibility to at least be as transparent as possible when these tools are used. To that end, Google announced that starting next week, Google Photos will record when images are edited with the help of AI.
“Photos edited with tools like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Zoom Enhance will have metadata based on International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) technical standards that indicate they were edited using generative AI. ,” said Google Engineering Director John Fisher. I wrote about the photo and blog post. “Now we’ve taken it a step further and made this information visible in the Photos app, along with information such as file name, location, and backup status.”
That’s certainly better than no sign of AI at all. GIF: Google
The “AI Information” section appears in the Google Photos image details view on both the web and the app.
These labels are not strictly limited to generative AI. Google also said it will specify when a “photo” includes elements from multiple different images, such as when users use Pixel’s Best Take or Add Me features. It’s encouraging to see that. However, this metadata is easily circumvented by those who intentionally try to circumvent it.
“This work is not finished yet. We will continue to gather feedback and evaluate additional solutions to increase transparency around AI editing,” Fisher wrote.
Until now, the metadata attached to Google’s AI tools was largely invisible to end users. The lack of obvious indication that this was made with an AI label in Google Photos was a concern of mine when I wreaked havoc using Magic Editor’s Reimagine tool. This tool allows you to add AI-generated objects to your image that were not present in the image. original scene. Both Google and Samsung can accomplish this using their respective AI tools. But Apple, which plans to roll out its first image generation feature in iOS 18.2, said it is very deliberately avoiding photorealistic content. Apple’s Craig Federighi said the company is becoming “concerned” that AI casts doubt on whether photos “represent reality.”
