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The iPhone 17 Cameras Need Google’s Approach for Identifying AI Images

Commentary: Google is taking the correct stance on tagging both AI-generated images and photos straight out of the camera. Apple should join in and throw its weight in the right direction.

Nearly all of the new camera features of Google’s Pixel 10 Pro lean on artificial intelligence. When you use Pro Res Zoom to zoom in at 100x, for example, the Pixel Camera uses generative AI to recreate a sharp, clear version. Or when you’re taking photos of people, the Auto Best Take feature melds multiple shots to create an image where everyone looks good.

But Google added another low-level feature to the Pixel 10 line, C2PA content credentials, that isn’t getting much attention. C2PA, or the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, is an effort to identify whether an image has been created or edited using AI and help weed out fake images. AI misinformation is a growing problem, especially as the systems used to create them have been rapidly improving — with Google among those advancing the technology. 

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Apple, however, is not part of the coalition of companies pledging to work with C2PA content credentials. But it sells millions of iPhones, some of the most popular image-making devices in the world. It’s time the company implemented the technology in its upcoming iPhone 17 cameras.

Identifying genuine photos from AI-edited ones

C2PA is an initiative founded by Adobe to tag media with content credentials that identify whether they’re AI-generated or AI-edited. Google is a member of the coalition. Starting with the Pixel 10 line, every image captured by the camera is embedded with C2PA information, and if you use AI tools to edit a photo in the Google Photos app, it will also get flagged as being AI-edited.

When viewing an image in Google Photos on a phone, swipe up to display information about it. In addition to data such as which camera settings were used to capture the image, at the bottom is a new «How this was made» section. It’s not incredibly detailed – a typical shot says it’s «Media captured with a camera» — but if an AI tool such as Pro Res Zoom was used, you’ll see «Edited with AI tools.» (I was able to view this on a Pixel 10 Pro XL and a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it didn’t show up in the Google Photos app on an iPhone 16 Pro.)

As another example, if you edit a photo after taking it using the Help me edit field to replace the background of an image, the generated version also includes «Edited with AI tools» in the information.

To be fair, AI has a role in pretty much every photo you take with a smartphone, given that machine learning is used to identify objects and scenes to better merge bursts of exposures that are captured when you tap the shutter button. The Pixel 10 flags those as «Edited with non-AI tools,» so Google is specifically applying the AI tag to images where generative AI is at work. So far, the implementation is inconsistent: A short AI-generated clip I made using the Photo to Video feature in Google Photos on the Pixel 10 Pro XL shows no C2PA data at all, though it does include a «Veo» watermark in the corner of the video.

What’s important is that the C2PA info is there

But here’s the key point: What Google is doing is not just tagging pictures that have been touched by AI. The Camera app is adding the C2PA data to every photo it captures, even the ones you snap and do nothing with.

The goal is not to highlight AI-edited photos. It’s to let you look at any photo and see where it came from.

When I talked to Isaac Reynolds, group product manager for the Pixel cameras, before the Pixel 10 launch, C2PA was a prominent topic even though in practical terms the feature isn’t remotely as visible as Pro Res Zoom or the new Camera Coach.

«The reason we are so committed to saving this metadata in every Pixel camera picture is so people can start to be suspicious of pictures without any information,» said Reynolds. «We’re just trying to flood the market with this label so people start to expect the data to be there.»

This is why I think Apple needs to adopt C2PA and tag every photo made with an iPhone. It would represent a massive influx of tagged images and give weight to the idea that an image with no tag should be regarded as potentially not genuine. If an image looks off, particularly when it involves current events or is meant to imitate a business in order to scam you, looking at its information can help you make a better-informed choice.

Google isn’t an outlier here. Samsung Galaxy phones add an AI watermark and a content credential tag to images that incorporate AI-generated material. Unfortunately, since Apple is not even listed as one of the C2PA members, I admit it seems like a stretch to expect that the company would adopt the technology. But given Apple’s size and influence in the market, adding C2PA credentials to every image the iPhone makes would make a difference and hopefully encourage even more companies to get on board.

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Apple Gave Us the Neo, Now It Might Be Planning a High-End MacBook Ultra

The company might launch its most sophisticated MacBook ever, with its first OLED screen.

Apple went budget with the MacBook Neo. Now reportedly the company is preparing to go high end, and high price.

Apple is gearing up to launch a MacBook «Ultra» in the fall, outfitted with the first OLED display in MacBook history, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Gurman says the new laptop will have a touchscreen and new M6 chips. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple could be launching its first touchscreen MacBook — with a Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island is a feature on more recent iPhone models — iPhone 14 and later — that’s shaped like a long horizontal pill atop the screen and shows alerts, notifications, timers and music.

It if happens, the Ultra would be at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from the Neo, which Apple launched earlier this month for $599 as a rival to Chromebooks and Windows laptops in the same price range. Gurman says the MacBook Ultra could cost 20 percent more than the new MacBook Pro (M5 series), which Apple lists at $1,699.

If you want to read more about the new Neo, CNET has been all over it: Here’s why students might love it, the colors we liked and didn’t like and why the Neo is a really is a game-changer.

Gurman suggested that Apple might keep selling the M5 series MacBook Pro even after the Ultra launches. That would give the company a wider range of MacBooks at various costs — the Neo ($599), the Air (starting at $1,099), the Pro ($1,699) and the Ultra. 

Tech analyst Paolo Pescatore said adding the premium MacBook Ultra would «signal a clear shift in strategy» for Apple.

«If this turns out to be the case, then Apple appears to be stretching the Mac further upmarket,» Pescatore told CNET. «The opportunity is to drive higher spending and keep premium users firmly within Apple’s ecosystem. The challenge will be avoiding confusion, especially if the lines between MacBook Pro and iPad Pro become even more blurred.»

Gurman also said that Apple’s first foldable iPhone, rumored to be launched later this year, might be called the «iPhone Ultra.»

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Technologies

AI Is One of the Least-Liked Things in America, According to New NBC Poll

The poll finds that AI is viewed less positively than ICE and President Donald Trump, and only more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

Artificial intelligence has rapidly become embedded in everything from phones to schoolwork to war plans. And that means everyone is likely to have an opinion about the technology. 

A new national survey conducted for NBC News highlights a striking disconnect between the spread of AI tools and Americans’ views on them. The poll, which ran from Feb. 27 to March 3, asked 1,000 registered voters about their views on topics ranging from border security to the new pope. 

Only 26% of voters said they view AI positively, 46% view it negatively, and 28% said they feel unsure or have no opinion, leaving AI with a net favorability of -20. In the study, AI ranked less favorably than US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican Party and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert. (Pope Leo XIV was by far the most popular person respondents were asked about.) 

Among the rankings, AI is one of the least popular topics in the survey — ranking only slightly more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

A growing disconnect between AI and public opinion

There is a notable disconnect between the industry’s ongoing push for AI adoption and how Americans feel about it. 

Tech companies are currently investing millions of dollars into developing generative AI tools and physical AI. In the last week alone, OpenAI released its latest GPT 5.4 model and AI companies made moves to work with the US Department of Defense. At the same time, Americans are growing increasingly wary of the technology.

The mismatch between adoption and public sentiment seems to be driven by concerns about AI’s broader impact, such as job displacement, privacy issues, the spread of misinformation and the undermining of human-made work. 

For companies and policymakers going all in on AI, the biggest challenge will be less about developing the next slew of innovative chatbot models or AI devices and more about persuading the public that the technology can be trusted. 

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Just $30 Will Get You 3 Months of the 5GB Mint Mobile Phone Plan

Finding a phone plan for $10 a month was impossible until this Mint Mobile deal came along.

If you told me I could get a three-month cell plan for just $30, I probably wouldn’t believe you. But that’s exactly what Mint Mobile is offering right now. If you pay for three months of 5GB cell service upfront, you can score it for just $30.  

New customers to Mint Mobile can score a 5GB wireless plan for just $10 per month for the first three months. The only catch is you have to use the code 5GB10 and pay $30 upfront for the full term. The usual price is $45 for three months, meaning this is a 33% discount. 

After the three-month period, the plan renews at $25 per month for three months. If you really like the plan, you can opt for the six-month version, which can lower the monthly cost to $20. You can also track your data usage in the Mint Mobile app and switch to a better-suited data plan when it’s time to renew.

Don’t forget a new phone to go with your new phone plan. Take a look at the best phone deals you can score right now. 

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

It seems like everything is becoming more and more expensive these days. That’s why saving wherever you can makes a huge difference. The phone bill is one thing that is here to stay, and that’s why this deal of $10 per month is really unbeatable. Just keep in mind you’ll have to pay the full three months upfront. But even that is just $30 total. Be sure to use code 5GB10 for the discount. 

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