"Qualcomm Offers Its Perspective on the AI Photo Editing Debate: 'It's Not as Simple as Real Image or Fake Image'"
"Our goal is to ensure that our technology does not have a negative impact."
The recent conversation around photo editing using artificial intelligence has sparked intense debate among major technology companies. During a Galaxy Unpacked event, Patrick Chomet, Head of Customer Experience at Samsung, provoked thoughts when he mentioned that “there is no such thing as a real image,” a comment that, although tinged with nihilism, is framed within a deeper analysis of the nature of photography. In a recent post on the X platform, Marques Brownlee highlighted this stance, pointing out the varying opinions of Samsung, Apple, and Google on this matter, even though all these tech giants are offering similar editing features, such as Magic Eraser and Clean Up.
On the other hand, Qualcomm has also noted that photo editing with artificial intelligence represents a fascinating yet complicated territory from an ethical standpoint. During a meeting at the Snapdragon Summit, Chris Patrick, Vice President of Mobile at Qualcomm, stated that the distinction between real and fake images is not so straightforward. He explained that human perception of an image is significantly influenced by context, emphasizing that when we observe a sunset, we do so based on our location, the smells, and the sounds present, which adds a layer of complexity to how we perceive and capture images.
Patrick underscored the importance of differentiating manipulated images from authentic ones, using a photograph of himself and Rui Guo on the moon as an example, highlighting that such a representation would be obviously false. He emphasized the need for mechanisms that help people identify these altered images, ensuring that technology should be beneficial and not cause confusion between reality and fiction.
In the same context, Rui Guo, CMO of Honor, announced that the company will launch the Honor Magic 7 Pro, which will include generative portrait enhancements through AI. Guo commented on the balance the company aims to achieve between photo quality and authenticity, stating that their approach is not to edit photos to consumers' tastes, but to allow users to control the final outcome.
The ethical dilemma of editing tools like Magic Eraser and Clean Up becomes more complicated when some people, including politicians, attempt to present altered images as authentic. However, these tools can be extremely useful for those who want to remove strangers accidentally from their family memories. Neither Qualcomm nor Honor imposes these tools on their users, allowing the option to capture moments in the traditional way if they prefer. What it comes down to is that, although the discussion is complex, as Patrick pointed out, "it's not as simple as real image versus fake."
