Clean Up feature on Photos app causes controversy

Clean Up, which is powered by Apple Intelligence technology, allows users to remove objects and people from photos using artificial intelligence (AI). However, this feature has also raised many questions and concerns related to AI image editing.

Clean Up: Convenient but Controversial

Clean Up lets users remove unwanted elements from photos, from physical objects to people. However, Apple has decided not to allow adding new elements or changing things like a person’s appearance. This is to limit the misuse of AI technology to create images that could be misleading or change the meaning of the original photo. Still, the ability to remove a person or object can be enough to change the entire context of a photo, and this has caused concern for many.

ios 181 clean up feature on photos app causes controversy image 2 — Apple Photos Clean Up

Notice and label "Modified with Clean Up"

To mitigate the controversy, Apple has promised that photos edited with Clean Up will be clearly labeled. When a user edits a photo with the feature, the Photos app will display a notification that the photo has been “Modified with Clean Up.” However, not everyone notices this label, especially since it only appears in the photo’s additional information.

Currently, only Apple devices running iOS 18.1 beta 3 or macOS 15.1 beta 3 are able to display this label in the Photos app. While the EXIF data of photos contains the "Apple Photos Clean Up" label, users will need special software or a computer to access and view this information.

Concerns about transparency

Sharing photos via AirDrop or iMessage will retain the Clean Up label in the EXIF data, but when using other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, the label is removed, raising concerns about transparency when sharing edited photos.

Apple still has time to tweak and improve this feature before iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 officially launch later this year. One of the notable proposals is that the company needs to provide methods for third-party apps to detect and retain the Clean Up label on photos.

Hardware requirements and future prospects

Clean Up is just one part of a suite of Apple Intelligence tools that will be released with iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1. Notably, these features require devices with the latest hardware like the iPhone 15 Pro or iPad and Macs with M1 chips or later.

Apple’s continued investment in AI technologies like Clean Up shows the company’s strong commitment to improving the user experience through artificial intelligence. However, the emergence of these technologies also requires careful consideration of ethics and transparency to avoid unintended negative impacts.

Hung Nguyen (According to 9to5mac)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ios-181-tinh-nang-clean-up-tren-ung-dung-photos-gay-tranh-cai-post309760.html