Until a few years ago, editing a photo on a mobile device was limited to adjusting colors, exposure, cropping, and a few other things. Thanks to the power of AI, users can now perform complex editing tasks like removing unwanted distractions or objects and creating new compositions with just a few taps. Google Photos offers popular AI editing tools like Magic Editor and Magic Eraser to millions of people around the world.

Today, Google announced that it is adding a new feature to Google Photos to make it easier for users to see when AI edits have been used. Starting next week, Google Photos will add a note when a photo has been edited with Google AI right in the Photos app. Recently, Apple also introduced a similar feature in its Photos app. Apple is marking AI-edited photos as "Modified with Clean Up" in the Photos app and is also updating the photo's EXIF data with the "Apple Photos Clean Up" information.

It is important to note that images edited with tools like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Zoom Enhance in Google Photos already include metadata based on technical standards from The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) to indicate that they've been edited using generative AI. Google is now making this information visible to end-users, along with the file name and other details.

Apart from indicating AI-edited images, Google is also using IPTC metadata to indicate if an image is composed of elements from different photos using non-generative features. This will be applied to photos captured using Best Take on Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 and Add Me on Pixel 9 smartphones.

Based on user feedback, Google will further improve transparency around AI photo edits in the future. As AI editing tools become more sophisticated, it's essential for companies like Google and Apple to continue prioritizing clear communication about how these technologies are being used.