Pixel 10 Pro Res Zoom: When Does a Photo Stop Being Real?

The Pixel 10 Pro has arrived with one of Google’s boldest features yet: Pro Res Zoom. Marketed as an AI-powered breakthrough, this zoom system doesn’t just enhance blurry shots – it invents missing details.

At up to 100x magnification, the phone uses generative models to reconstruct textures and pixels that were never captured by the sensor in the first place.

Of course, digital zoom and algorithmic image processing aren’t new, but Google is the first major brand to openly embrace the AI-made photo label. And that leads to an uncomfortable question: when does a photo stop being a photo and become something else entirely?

Photography’s shifting definition

Since the days of the camera obscura, photography has been about capturing reality with light. For centuries, the best picture was the one that most faithfully reproduced the world as it was. From high-quality lenses and films to today’s digital sensors, photography has been a pursuit of accuracy.

But AI now blurs those boundaries. What once required hours of Photoshop skills can now be done in seconds by a smartphone chip. Whether it’s Google’s Pro Res Zoom, Best Take, or Add Me, the Pixel 10 lineup normalizes images that are part real and part machine invention.

The risks behind the magic

On the surface, AI-assisted zoom is fun – your pet Chihuahua may look cuter at 100x. But what if you’re photographing a car’s license plate after a hit-and-run? What if AI fills in the wrong characters? Or what if an altered parking sign fools you into a fine? These aren’t sci-fi scenarios – they’re the very real risks of technology that fabricates detail.

The issue extends to Google’s Add Me feature, which can insert people into images they were never in. Imagine the consequences if such images were used in disputes or investigations.

Google’s attempt at transparency

To its credit, Google is trying to establish safeguards. Pixel 10 images enhanced by AI include C2PA Content Credentials, cryptographic metadata embedded in each file that documents how the picture was processed. This runs securely on-device via the Tensor G5 and Titan M2 chips, and Google says it’s the most secure implementation available today.

Yet a deeper concern remains: how many people will actually check an image’s metadata? Probably very few. Which raises the possibility that we may need entirely new terms, or even visible labels, to distinguish between photos as records of reality and images as creative reconstructions.

So, when is a photo not a photo?

Photography has always balanced art and truth. But with AI stepping in to generate reality, the balance may be tipping. Perhaps it’s time to admit that not every picture we see is truly a photograph anymore – and decide whether that’s a problem, or simply the next step in photography’s evolution.