EXIF is capture data that cameras and programs write into photos: camera, lens, exposure, date, often software and GPS position. The viewer shows every field and also checks whether the file carries an AI note.
What EXIF reveals about an image
- Camera and lens: make, model, focal length.
- Capture: date and time, exposure, aperture, ISO, flash.
- Software: the program that last saved the file. A hint of editing, not proof.
- Location: GPS coordinates, if the camera or phone stored them.
Check GPS before publishing. If a product photo from your workshop or home contains GPS data, anyone who downloads it sees the place. Many stores strip EXIF on upload, but do not rely on it.
EXIF and AI images
AI images usually carry no camera EXIF, some a software field. Conversely, real camera EXIF does not prove that an image is unchanged, because it may have been edited with AI (for example with generative fill). For labelling under Article 50 of the AI Act, what counts is what the AI did, not what the metadata says. The labelling check answers that.
Frequently asked questions
Does EXIF show whether an image was made with AI?
Only indirectly. The IPTC note trainedAlgorithmicMedia and Content Credentials, which the viewer also reads, are more reliable.
How do I remove GPS data from a photo?
On phones you can turn off saving the location in the camera settings, and most photo apps offer “remove location data” on export. Keep AI notes in place when you do.
Sources
Para. refers to the paragraph number in the European Commission's guidelines on Article 50, C(2026) 5054.
- IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2025.1IPTC · Standard · 26 Nov 2025
- IPTC NewsCodes: Digital Source TypeIPTC · Standard · 23 Oct 2024
- Commission Guidelines on the transparency obligations under Article 50 AI Act, C(2026) 5054 finalEuropäische Kommission · Commission · 20 Jul 2026
