Google introduces Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, two new AI models designed for real-time voice conversations and complex reasoning tasks. The models deliver near real-time processing, multi-language support, and tool execution capabilities, with 3.8 Live Extended Thinking achieving top scores on Speech to Speech Quality benchmarks while maintaining competitive pricing.
Apple announced Apple Reference Image, a new feature for iPhone 18 Pro that embeds a unique ID in photo metadata to prove an image was captured by an iPhone camera rather than generated by AI. Unlike Google's SynthID, which embeds signals in pixels, Apple's approach stores provenance data in metadata and sends telemetry to Private Cloud Compute to create a signature tied to the specific device. The feature functions as a digital receipt photographers can use to verify image authenticity against AI-altered versions circulating online.
A research paper examines AI text watermarking requirements under the EU AI Act, focusing on SynthID-Text deployed by Anthropic and Google. The authors argue that unverifiability of watermarking claims—rather than watermarking itself—is the core governance problem, and propose requirements for transparency and auditing to address it.
Apple introduced Apple Reference Image for iPhone 18 Pro, an opt-in feature that uses a new sensor to cryptographically sign photo data at capture, creating an unalterable reference image in Private Cloud Compute that users can compare against edits. The feature supports image authenticity verification and will work alongside the upcoming SynthID standard for identifying AI-generated or edited images, though it won't launch in China and faces initial EU restrictions.