• Meta has introduced a new label for images that have been edited using an AI tool.
• The company previously labelled any images that were AI-generated, but have no updated its policy with an addition.
• It now means photographers will need to be careful with the software they use to touch up photos.

In May this year, Meta announced that it would start attaching labels to AI-generated content on its platforms. It specifically introduced a “Made with AI” label at the time, but now the company has provided an update and added a new label to the mix – AI info.

While the new label has been introduced in order to cover a wider array of AI-related content, it will mean that professional photographers and digital artists will need to think more carefully when uploading content online.

This as the AI info label is designed to be a simpler demarcator for content that features some element of AI, but it does not account for the difference between a fully AI-generated image and one that makes use of AI for editing or touching up photos.

“While we work with companies across the industry to improve the process so our labeling approach better matches our intent, we’re updating the ‘Made with AI’ label to ‘AI info’ across our apps, which people can click for more information,” the company shared in an updated blog post.

Whether social media users on sites like Instagram or Facebook will in fact click on the labels to find out more information remains to be seen, but Meta is of the opinion that this change will make things clearer.

“We will begin adding ‘AI info’ labels to a wider range of video, audio and image content when we detect industry standard AI image indicators or when people disclose that they’re uploading AI-generated content,” Meta continued.

“We agree with the Oversight Board’s recommendation that providing transparency and additional context is now the better way to address manipulated media and avoid the risk of unnecessarily restricting freedom of speech, so we’ll keep this content on our platforms so we can add labels and context,” it added.

As TechCrunch points out, the underlying technology used to identify AI-related content remains the same, but it is worth noting that if a photographer uses a tool like Adobe Generative AI Fill, it will likely receive a label, even though the main content of the image has little to nothing to do with AI.

The same could apply for any images or photos that are edited or enhanced on your smartphone, with several manufacturers now imbuing their devices with AI-powered capabilities. As such, tools that are used to erase content, may feature labels when published to a Meta-owned platform.

Much of this update then, hinges on whether people of social media will take the time to investigate further. Failing to do so may result in people thinking an image is fully AI-generated when only a few small edits may have been applied.

Hopefully this does not prove more confusing, as AI continues to be a pervasive technology.