Apple plans to add a new dimension to photo editing with its “Clean Up” feature in iOS 18.1, set to be released soon, according to the firm’s head of software, Craig Federighi, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. While Apple’s competitors, Google and Samsung, have showcased AI capabilities that add AI-generated features to photographs, the Clean Up tool focuses solely on removing objects from photos, such as water bottles or microphones. This aligns with Apple’s goal to keep photos as real as possible, offering tools that enhance reality without creating fantasy elements.
The new feature debuts amid an industry-wide discussion on the ethics of AI-driven photo alterations. Apple’s approach emphasizes improving the accessibility of certain types of content without compromising the authenticity and trustworthiness of photographs. Federighi expressed that the use of AI tools to alter photos could erode public trust in photographs as truthful records of events or scenes, a concern that has led to internal discussions at Apple about the extent of editing features they should offer.
“Our products, our phones, are used to capture moments as they are. It’s important to us that we help purvey accurate information, not fantasy,” Federighi explained during a demonstration, highlighting the rationale behind the limited capabilities of the Clean Up feature. Any photo edited using the Clean Up feature will be labeled as “Modified with Clean Up” within the Photos app and will include metadata indicating that it has been edited.
This effort mirrors other initiatives, such as Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative, which aims to differentiate between modified and original photos through metadata. There is speculation about whether Apple’s system will integrate with Adobe’s standards. Qualcomm, a company that provides system-on-chip semiconductor products for smartphones via its Snapdragon series, has also entered into the debate.
Apple’s new Clean Up feature
“It’s an interesting question because the human brain is not digital,” Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President, Chis Patrick, said at a roundtable interview at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii this week. “When you perceive the sunset outside, you don’t perceive it absent of context.
You know where you are. You know what you’re smelling. You know what you’re hearing.
You know what you’re feeling. You know what a sunset looks like, right? All of that is part of how you perceive the space.”
Patrick emphasized the need for clear labeling of AI-generated images, especially those that are heavily manipulated.
“For us, it’s very clear that there has to be some mechanism to distinguish the other extreme — those manipulated images — for people. We’re building incredible technology together, but we want to make sure that, in the end, it does not have a destructive impact, where people can no longer tell the difference between truth and fiction,” adds Patrick. Apple Inc.’s incorporation of AI in photo editing represents the company’s cautious and deliberate progression towards fully embracing the technology.
This approach seeks to uphold digital ethical principles while ensuring the data provided by consumers remains credible and accurate.
