How Leica's M11-P Camera Combats AI Deepfakes For Photographers With Deep Pockets

The Leica M11-P is the first camera in the world designed specifically to combat AI deepfakes. It stores metadata in line with the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) to ensure better protection of copyrights and safeguards the trustworthiness of publications.

In the world of photography, professionals have been locked in a battle to keep their work safe from others using AI to alter their images in ways not intended. With manipulated content on the rise, it has never been more crucial to find new and innovative ways of safeguarding not only the work of content creators, but the public as well. This is where Leica's new camera provides a new way for photographers to create a chain of authenticity from camera to cloud and maintain a degree of control over their art, story, and context.

The Content Authenticity Initiative is a group of creators, technologists, journalists, and activists leading a global effort to try and address digital misinformation and content authenticity. The organization's focus is on promoting and providing an open, cross-industry approach to media transparency. Along with Leica, CAI has implemented the global Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) standard in the M11-P camera.

C2PA ensures each image captured is stored with secure metadata. It means it carries information such as camera make and model, and content-specific information including who captured the image and when, and how they did so, according to the CAI. Every image taken with the camera will receive a digital signature, and the authenticity of images that can be easily verified by visiting the CAI website or in the Leica FOTOS app. Since this is hardware-based, it's not something that can be patched into previous cameras via a firmware upgrade. Qualcomm stated during its Snapdragon Summit this week that its smartphone chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, has built-in support for similar labeling of images using technology from Truepic.

The camera itself is much like its sibling, the M11. It houses the same high-performance BSI CMOS full-frame sensor that is equipped with Triple Resolution Technology, and can deliver images up to 60 megapixels. It has a high-resolution touch display, which covers 100% of the sRGB color space, enabling accurate evaluations of image sharpness and exposure.

The Leica M11-P is meant for serious professional photographers with a price tag of $9,195 (camera body only). Interested buyers can purchase one of these beasts on the Leica website.