Google is joining Microsoft, Meta and Adobe in supporting a standard for labeling media that can describe who created an image or video, when and how it was created and the credibility of its source, the company announced today.

Why it matters: With Android smartphones holding a 70% global market share and 2.5 billion YouTube users, Google's move gives critical mass to the industry's effort to label AI-generated content and combat misinformation.

What's happening: Google is the latest major company to join the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) and to serve on its steering committee.

• Google sees the C2PA standard as complementary to its existing AI information efforts: Google DeepMind's SynthID, the About This Image search tool and YouTube's labels for altered or synthetic content.

The big picture: The ultimate goal of C2PA is to allow "content credentials" to be applied from the moment an image is captured or otherwise created.

• Meta announced Tuesday that it's building new tools to identify C2PA metadata in images uploaded to Facebook, Instagram and Threads so that labels are automatically applied to AI-generated images on the platforms.
• OpenAI announced this week that it will add C2PA metadata to images created with ChatGPT and the API for the DALL-E 3 model.
• Leica gave is cameras the ability to add C2PA authentication metadata to their pictures last year, Ina reported.

Catch up quick: The C2PA effort emerges from an industry coalition called the Content Authenticity Initiative, led by Adobe.

• The firms believe the best way to combat misinformation is to provide consumers with context about how content has been created and edited.
• The White House also urged "watermarking" of images in its AI Executive Order.

Between the lines: Google hopes to shape the evolution of C2PA by having a seat at the table and that its involvement will prompt others to sign-on, creating the near ubiquity needed to make the standard effective.

• Bad actors are unlikely to self-label AI content with any type of metadata, which means that enough trustworthy content must be labeled to make the unlabeled material stand out.

What they're saying: Google is still working out implementation details, but "over time there could be some differences" in how users experience Google products, Laurie Richardson, VP of trust and safety at Google tells Axios.

• "We want to understand where content comes from and if it's been edited, for it to be resilient to tampering and for it to be interoperable," Richardson says, to help users make "informed decisions."
• "Google's membership is an important validation for the C2PA's approach," says Andrew Jenks, C2PA chair and a media provenance specialist at Microsoft.

The other side: C2PA critics argue that its labels can be tampered with.

• Matt Medved, founder of NowMedia, tells Axios that C2PA "relies on embedding provenance data within the metadata of digital files, which can easily be stripped or swapped by bad actors," arguing that only "blockchain's immutable ledger" can give true confidence in content provenance.

The bottom line: Google's move helps C2PA might win the AI labeling battle, but it still risks losing the war.

• Those most likely to share misinformation are often the least likely to take notice of information labels, let alone metadata.
• C2PA isn't going to stop repeats of the fake Taylor Swift porn images that flooded social media this month, because it can't compel image generation tools to comply.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Meta is building new tools to identify C2PA metadata in images uploaded to Threads (not WhatsApp), Facebook and Instagram.

Another former Apple employee is launching an AI hardware wearable — this time, it's a pair of round glasses that bear a striking resemblance to the spectacles often worn by Steve Jobs, Ina reports.

Why it matters: It's the latest in a wave of new devices designed around a built-in AI assistant, following in the footsteps of Humane's AI Pin and Rabbit's R1.

Details: Frame, as the glasses are dubbed, come from Brilliant Labs, a startup led by former Apple program lead Bobak Tavangar.

• Brilliant also has backing from Niantic CEO John Hanke, as part of the $6 million in funding it has raised.

The central feature of the audio-enabled glasses is a multimodal generative AI voice assistant dubbed Noa.

• Frame will also feature the ability to query the AI-powered search engine Perplexity.
• The $349 glasses will be available for order today and begin shipping in April.

Flashback: Frame is the second product from Brilliant Labs, which previously launched an AR wearable called Monocle.

Our thought bubble: Hardware startups often struggle and the AI device field is still figuring out what features people want in a rapidly evolving market.

• That gives an edge to companies with the deep pockets to invest in multiple versions of hardware, even if early releases aren't total hits.
• Meta, for example, is on the second version of its smart glasses collaboration with Ray-Ban, which has a similar feature set to Frame.

Yes, but: Startups often bring fresh approaches and features. Brilliant Labs, for example, is pledging that Noa will learn about its user over time but also preserve privacy.

Google on Tuesday renamed its Bard chatbot Gemini, while also adding mobile app options and a paid version of the service, Ina reports.

Why it matters: Google is aiming to show that it can keep pace with the latest AI products from Microsoft and OpenAI.

Details: Although only a year old, Google is scrapping the Bard name in favor of the Gemini brand.

• The name is taken from recently released AI models that underlie the latest version of the service. Google Cloud is also renaming Duet AI, adopting the Gemini moniker.
• On Android, Gemini will be its own app and can replace Google Assistant as the primary voice assistant. On iOS, Gemini is a tab within the Google app.
• Google is adding a paid version of the chatbot Gemini Advanced, which will become part of a new $20-per-month tier of the company's Google One subscription family. It will offer access to Google's highest-end Gemini Ultra model and include 2TB of cloud storage.

The big picture: With the paid version, Google is competing directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus and Microsoft's Copilot Pro. Google will try to make the case that it is offering more by bundling 2TB of cloud storage for the same $20 per month price tag.

• Google is also offering a two-month free trial of the paid service, available both to existing Google One subscribers and non-subscribers.

Between the lines: While Google is billing Gemini as the successor to Assistant, the chatbot can't do everything its predecessor can. It can set timers, make calls and manage some smart home products, but it doesn't have the full range of actions that Assistant does.

• Today, Assistant can access the calendar or play music from Spotify, but Gemini can't do that yet.
• Also, Google doesn't yet have a Gemini-based alternative to Assistant for devices like speakers, smart displays and TVs.

Flashback: Google said in October it was looking to merge Bard into Assistant.

What's next: Google said paid subscribers will soon also have access to a version of Gemini that works within Gmail as well as apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet.

• Disney announced big gaming plans and a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. (Axios)
• Apple is reported to be working on at least two foldable versions of its iPhone, five years after global market leader Samsung introduced similar phones. (The Information)
• Medium's CEO says AI detection tools don't work — the company now uses humans to identify AI-generated writing as well as bad writing. (Semafor)

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