AI

Meta Faces Criticism Over Mislabeling Real Photos as 'AI-Created'

21 June 2024

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Paikan Begzad

Summary

In February, Meta announced plans to label photos created with AI tools across its social networks. Since May, the "Made with AI" label has been regularly appearing on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. However, this initiative has faced backlash from users and photographers who claim the label is being wrongly applied to genuine photos.

Numerous instances have been reported where Meta has incorrectly tagged photos as AI-generated. For example, a photo of the Kolkata Knight Riders celebrating their Indian Premier League Cricket victory was mistakenly labeled. This label issue is primarily visible on mobile apps, not on the web. Photographers argue that simple photo edits should not trigger an AI-generated label.

Former White House photographer Pete Souza shared his frustration on Instagram after one of his photos was mislabeled. He speculated that changes in Adobe’s cropping tool might be causing Meta's algorithm to apply the label incorrectly. "It's frustrating to see my post labeled 'Made with AI' despite not using any AI tools," Souza told TechCrunch.

Meta explained in a February blog post that it uses metadata to detect AI involvement in images. "We’re developing tools to identify invisible markers at scale, specifically the 'AI generated' information in C2PA and IPTC standards," the company stated, aiming to label images from various AI tools like Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and Shutterstock.

However, according to PetaPixel, Meta seems to apply the "Made with AI" label when photographers use Adobe’s Generative AI Fill to edit photos. Despite this, Meta hasn’t clarified the exact criteria for applying the label. Some photographers support Meta's approach, believing any AI usage should be disclosed.

Currently, Meta doesn’t differentiate between photos merely edited with tools and those fully created by AI, making it hard for users to understand the extent of AI involvement. The label specifies that "Generative AI may have been used to create or edit content in this post," but this detail is only visible upon tapping the label.

Despite these efforts, many clearly AI-generated photos remain unlabeled on Meta's platforms. With the upcoming U.S. elections, social media companies are under increased pressure to manage AI-generated content accurately.