Apple has a new way prove your iPhone photos aren’t AI slop

“This is vital for photojournalists and photographers,” the company said.

When a photo is taken, the main camera sensor also captures signed sensor data which Apple’s Private Cloud Compute service then turns into an “unalterable image” viewable in the Photos app. The reference image can then be compared with other versions of the photo to determine whether any changes have been made. Apple likens the reference image to a “digital negative.”

While reference images will initially be viewable only in the Photos app initially, the company is making APIs available to developers so they can integrate the feature into their own apps.

Apple also said it will support the SynthID standard to help people determine whether images were created or altered with AI.