Apple has a new way prove your iPhone photos aren’t AI slop
11:08 AM PDT · September 9, 2026
In a world awash in AI slop, Apple wants you to trust what gets captured on its iPhones.
The company announced Wednesday during its Surprise and Shine event that it is introducing Apple Reference Image, a feature it says can prove whether an image taken with the iPhone 18 Pro is authentic.
“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...
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