Adobe announces Content Authenticity Web app amidst user fears about generative AI usage

Adobe announced a Content Credentials web app that will let its users better mark and identify the sources of their media, as it faces criticism over generative AI policies

Adobe announced the upcoming release of a Content Credentials web app that will act like a “nutrition label for digital content,” giving creators and users the ability to link their media to their official handles, as well as add information about generative AI use and set their AI training preferences.

Using the new web app, creators can add their name, website, and social media accounts to their work, set generative AI training and usage preference to prevent third-party data harvesting, and view other users’ content credentials.

Digital fingerprinting, invisible watermarking, and cryptographically signed metadata will be used to make it harder to remove such information when someone tries to erase the external info or take a screenshot of the media.

“Now with the web app, Adobe is unlocking the full potential of Content Credentials, helping creators protect their work from misuse or misrepresentation and build a more trustworthy and transparent digital ecosystem for everyone,” said Adobe in a press statement.

While Adobe pointed to misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes as areas of concern, the platform itself has faced accusations of scraping artists’ data for its generative AI tools and text-to-image generation capabilities.

Several users have responded to Adobe’s foray into GenAI by boycotting the platform completely or calling for stronger safeguards in order to protect their work and vouch for the authenticity of human-made art.

Adobe said it only trains Adobe Firefly on content it is permitted to use, and not customer content.

A no-cost public beta version of the app will be available in the first quarter of 2025, while a free beta of the Content Authenticity extension for Google Chrome has been made available currently.

“By offering creators a simple, free and easy way to attach Content Credentials to what they create, we are helping them preserve the integrity of their work, while enabling a new era of transparency and trust online. The Adobe Content Authenticity web app will not only benefit creators but also help consumers navigate the digital ecosystem with greater clarity,” said Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President, Design & Emerging Products at Adobe.

Published - October 08, 2024 07:00 pm IST