Apple Intelligence AI-Powered Clean Up Feature Reportedly Labels Edited Images

Apple Intelligence features began showing up ever since the first public beta versions of iOS 18 were released. Now, the iOS 18.1 beta 3 update has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature dubbed Clean Up. The feature can remove objects and people from a photo. However, once the feature is used, the image reportedly begins showing a label that it has been edited with the help of AI. With this, Apple has joined the ranks of OpenAI, Meta, Google, and other firms that provide a similar label when their AI models are used to edit an image.

Apple Adds Label for Images Edited With Clean Up

9to5Mac spotted the feature in the iOS 18.1 beta 3 update. Available within the Photos app when editing a photo, it appears in an eraser-style icon in the toolbar placed at the bottom. The Cupertino-based tech giant showcased the feature at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

With the help of AI, the tool can detect and automatically remove unwanted objects and people from a photo. The tool can also detect unwanted objects' shadows and reflections and remove them automatically. Users can also manually control the feature and remove objects and people.

In a separate report, 9to5Mac also found that the images edited using Clean Up began showing a label that said “Modified with Clean Up” when viewed from within the Photos app. This was likely done so that a user does not change the context of the image by removing a person or an object.

The AI label was reportedly also added to the photo's exchangeable image file (EXIF) format. This can be seen using a computer or a special software that can read this data. This data is said to be present when the photo is shared using iMessage or AirDrop. However, the publication found that sharing the image via third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram did not include the label in the photo.

However, since the Apple Intelligence feature is only available in beta, it is possible that this oversight will be rectified by the time Clean Up becomes available in the stable version.