User concerns about the Samsung Galaxy S24’s generative AI photo editing feature have been addressed by a senior Samsung staffer, who says fears about the phone’s use of AI are unfounded.
Samsung's head of customer experience, Patrick Chomet, speaking to TechRadar, explained why the Galaxy S24's Generative Edit feature is a natural extension of what smartphones were already capable of.
For context, Generative Edit allows Galaxy users to easily edit images by allowing the user to seamlessly change, remove and add elements to an image or video. This seamless editing process is making some people nervous due to how easy it would be to make fake images that are believable.
“There is no real picture. You can try to define a real picture by saying, ‘I took that picture’, but if you used AI to optimize the zoom, the autofocus, the scene – is it real? Or is it all filters? There is no real picture, full stop," Chomet said in response
One important thing to note is that using AI to edit a photo should result in changes to the photo's metadata, alongside a specific watermark to make images of this kind identifiable. But that's not to say every user will be able to spot AI edits easily, which raises red flags around the spread of misinformation.
“One intention is wanting to capture the moment – wanting to take a picture that’s as accurate and complete as possible. To do that, we use a lot of AI filtering, modification and optimization to erase shadows, reflections and so on. But we are true to the user's intention, which was to capture that moment.”
The legal areas around AI are somewhat muddled right now, as lawmakers come to terms with the new tech and what it can do. The EU has recently agreed on the final version of the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act, but it's yet to be passed.
The requirements of said legislation differ depending on the risk level posed by a particular AI system. For example, some AI systems would need to present the sources for their generative models, while others would only need to inform users that the subjects are AI-generated.
Samsung apparently agrees with this approach. Chomet also stated in the TR interview that the company "is very aligned with European regulations on AI." He made a point to note that countries are right to express early concerns about the potential implications of widespread AI usage, and mentioned that Samsung was dedicated to being responsible and thinking deeply about the regulation of AI
AI is a part of our lives, and we're beginning to see just what it's capable of, alongside the legal repercussions. It is encouraging to see that Samsung is aware of this and is willing to work with governments and lawmakers to protect the general public from any potential threat that the software could create.
