According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Nikon, Sony, and Canon are currently developing technology to embed digital signatures into images. Nikon will introduce a professional-grade mirrorless camera with digital signature verification technology. Sony, on the other hand, plans to release firmware updates for its cameras in early this year. As for Canon, they are expected to launch a camera with digital signatures in 2024 and even incorporate them into videos.
In addition, global news organizations, technology companies, and camera manufacturers have partnered together to develop a tool called Verify, aimed at combating image tampering using Generative AI. This tool allows users to view the digital signatures of images, including the date, time, location, and photographer’s details. If an image does not have a digital signature or is created using AI, the detection system will label it as unverified content. The hope is that Verify will become a crucial component in the fight against AI-generated misinformation, particularly in the media industry, which heavily relies on authentic photographic evidence.
An example of Canon’s app that checks for changes in an image is shown. The use of watermarks to combat AI tampering is not a new technique, as Google DeepMind introduced SynthID last year. SynthID works in collaboration with the cloud model Imagen to embed watermarks into AI-generated images, confirming that they are not human-created. This helps prevent problems with fake or manipulated images and allows for retrospective analysis.
TLDR: Nikon, Sony, and Canon are developing technology to insert digital signatures into images. Canon has also introduced an app to detect image alterations. Verify, a tool developed by a collaboration of news organizations, technology companies, and camera manufacturers, aims to combat image tampering using AI. These efforts are crucial in fighting AI-generated misinformation, particularly in media industries that rely on authentic photographic evidence.
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