Nikon, Sony, and Canon Cameras to Embed Watermarks in Photos

It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish whether the images we see online are real or AI-generated. Despite many attempts to differentiate the two by adding watermarks to AI outputs, Verify takes the opposite approach. This tool verifies the authenticity of images and helps top camera manufacturers embed certificates into photos at the time of shooting.

According to Nikkei Asia, an alliance consisting of global news agencies, technology companies, and camera manufacturers created Verify in response to the proliferation of "sophisticated fakes." This free web-based tool allows users to view the digital signature of any image, which may include details such as date, time, location, and photographer. If an image lacks a digital signature or is AI-generated, Verify labels it as "certificate of no content." It is hoped that Verify will become an essential component in combating AI-generated misinformation, particularly in the media industry, which heavily relies on photographers to convey crucial information.

Verify's efforts to embed authenticity watermarks into their high-end camera outputs align with Nikon, Sony, and Canon's endeavors. Nikkei Asia reports that Nikon will soon launch a professional-grade mirrorless camera with built-in authentication technology, which will insert a digital signature into each photo. Sony will initiate a similar initiative by releasing a firmware update for its mirrorless cameras earlier this year. Meanwhile, Canon is expected to release a camera with built-in authentication signatures in 2024 and introduce video authentication signatures by the end of the year.

Watermarking is not a new technology in combating AI-generated misinformation. Last year, Google's DeepMind began testing SynthID, which works in conjunction with the company's Imagen cloud model to label AI outputs as machine-generated. Watermarks can resist most attempts at removal and distortion, including image cropping, filters, and lossy compression. SynthID can also scan images to identify AI watermarks and label them as AI-generated.

Verify flips the concept of Google's SynthID by providing behind-the-scenes evidence to prove that an image is not the product of AI. Digital signatures aim to prevent legitimate photos from being mistaken as AI outputs (and vice versa), but they may also reduce traditional plagiarism. Social media, portfolio pages, and other online spaces are filled with images wrongly attributed to the wrong individuals, whether intentionally or unintentionally. While not all viewers of online photos will delve into the digital signature of the photo, the embedded credibility may deter fraudsters from attempting to pass off others' images as their own.