In a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing and digital content can be copied and misused in seconds, Adobe has launched a powerful solution to help creators stay in control. The company officially unveiled its Content Authenticity app at the Adobe Max Creativity Conference in London — and for the first time, this kind of digital protection is free and available to everyone, no Creative Cloud subscription required.

This new app is part of Adobe’s larger Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) — a global effort to bring trust and transparency to digital content. With the app, users can now digitally sign their work with a secure content credential that verifies authorship, links to their public profiles, and — critically — includes an option to state whether the content can or cannot be used to train AI models.

That’s a game-changer, especially in today’s digital landscape where AI systems often scrape the web for training data — frequently without the creators' consent.

“It truly is for anybody,” said Andy Parsons, Senior Director of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. “Everyone should have that last-mile ability to have attribution for their work.”

This isn’t just a move to protect professionals — it’s for everyone who shares anything online. Whether you’re a content creator, photographer, designer, or just someone who loves posting to Instagram, this free app gives you a layer of protection and visibility that was previously only available to elite users and big media houses.

And it’s needed. Just ask CNET journalist Katie Collins, who discovered a photo she took at a small UK campsite being used in a German festival flyer — without her permission. It’s a familiar story for anyone who’s ever seen their online work repurposed or even stolen. Now, with Adobe’s app, you can attach a tamper-proof, trackable identity to your work before it leaves your device.

What Can You Do With the App?

• Attach digital credentials to photos and videos

• Link content to your name, profiles, and creation data

• Set permissions on whether your content can be used by AI models

• Track authenticity through supported platforms and browsers

Adobe has also released a browser extension that lets users view these content credentials on platforms like Instagram, making it easier to verify whether an image is original and who created it. With AI-generated content becoming harder to distinguish from the real thing, this tech also helps fight misinformation and deepfakes.

For creators like Jon Devo, a writer and photographer, this app is nothing short of empowering.

“There’s stuff I’ve created over the last five, six years that I was hesitant to share,” Devo said. “If people liked it and shared it, it would never be traced back to me. But now? I’m finally ready to post those things again.”

The app also supports an open standard for digital credentials, making it interoperable across different platforms and devices. Some phones, like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25, are even expected to have content credentialing built in by default.

But what about users who don’t consider themselves creators? Parsons had a simple answer:

“The world is changing very quickly. Why not have your name and voice tied to your work? It’s about taking control — because if you don’t, someone else might.”

Whether you're sharing travel memories, publishing creative projects, or building a personal brand, Adobe’s new app ensures that your work is yours — and stays that way.