The official photo of Kate, Princess of Wales, and her three children released on Sunday may have been altered using a program such as Photoshop, despite speculation that it was generated by artificial intelligence. experts told NBC News.
Although the photo showed no signs of generative AI, the speculation shows how quickly AI has captured the public imagination and become integrated with online conspiracy theories.
In tabloid headlines, viral tweets, and widely read Reddit posts, those watching the uproar unfolding over Middleton's public appearance online were left wondering if the image “looked like an AI. ” he quipped. X's post, which has been viewed more than 4 million times, called the photo an “AI-processed image.”
But that's probably not true.
“I think it's unlikely that this is anything more than relatively minor photo manipulation,” Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who studies digital manipulation and misinformation, told NBC News. “There is no evidence that this image was generated entirely by AI,” he said.
The circumstances surrounding the release of this photo were ripe for conspiratorial thinking.
The photo is the first that Middleton has shared with the public since January, when she underwent abdominal surgery. Middleton's disappearance from public view during her recovery has been the subject of persistent conspiracy theories and speculation.
Professionally staged photos typically include light editing, such as tweaking colors and contrast. However, the photos of the royal family were clearly blatantly doctored in several places, violating most news agency policies. The Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters all issued “takedown notices” for the photo, advising news organizations to either remove it from their archives or not use it.
“A closer examination of the image revealed inconsistencies, such as the position of Princess Charlotte's left hand and the sleeve of her sweater, that suggest the image had been altered,” the Associated Press said in a public explanation of the death notice. Stated.
There is no indication that the image is a deepfake, meaning it was created from scratch by a computer program to realistically depict a person. Deepfakes of audio, video, and still images are rapidly becoming more persuasive and common on social media, and political operatives will use them to mislead and sway voters in 2024.
However, Farid said the manipulation of Middleton's photo appeared to be the work of someone using Photoshop or other basic photo-editing software and worrying.
“I think it's more likely the result of improper photoshop to remove the stain on the sweater, or on-camera photo compositing that combines multiple photos to get a photo of everyone smiling.” he stated. .
Middletown apologized Monday, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time,” but did not release the unedited version or details of the photo.
Maura Grossman, a research professor and image manipulation expert at the University of Waterloo's School of Computer Science, agreed that the photo is not the result of generative AI, but the wide variety of tools for manipulating media makes it difficult to see. warned that it would become more complicated. About what is considered authentic.
“It's not black and white. People want to see it as, 'This is a fake image, this is not.' There’s a gradation,” Grossman said.
“The lines are becoming increasingly blurred,” she says.