Today's chat is an interesting one—it touches upon something that's quite current and increasingly relevant in our modern - digitally enhanced lives.
I'm sure you've seen plenty of hyper-realistic images that surface on the internet from time to time where you pause and wonder, "Hang on, is this real?"
Well, the world of online imagery is becoming even more complicated with the rise of AI-generated content.
Meta, the tech giant we once knew as Facebook, is rolling out a strategy aimed at distinguishing AI-created imagery from human-generated ones.
Let's break down what's exactly happening.
Meta have decided to start labelling these AI-imagined pictures.
The reason is all about transparency—ensuring that us as users and consumers, know whether we're looking at a product of human creativity or AI algorithms.
The labels will be pretty straightforward: "Imagined with AI."
You'll see them as either visible markers right there on the image or as invisible watermarks embedded into the image file itself.
Why both? Because sometimes visible clues can be wiped clean off an image, but those invisible watermarks are much harder to scrub away.
Meta are also developing tools to spot these markers in AI image generators used by companies like Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and Shutterstock.
This initiative isn't just about slapping tags onto pictures; it's also about setting industry standards.
Let's remember why this matters beyond merely knowing what's what among your photo collections or newsfeeds.
We're in an era where elections are influenced by information—or misinformation—and being able to trust in what we see online has tangible effects on our lives and society at large.
(Remember the Donald Trump and Cambridge Analytica)
So, Meta's stepping up its policy game requiring users who share such content to disclose it clearly.
It also seems Meta has teamed up with PAI—the Partnership on AI—to ensure they're being thoughtful about how they innovate responsibly within ethical boundaries.
So here we are—standing at another digital crossroads where we balance innovation with integrity—juggling advancement while clinging onto candour.
Let me know your thoughts below; how do you feel about these new digital leaps?
Are you for or against labelling ai-generated images?
-Jack