Hunter Hillman, the Head of Product at Livepeer Studio, answered questions in regards to C2PA’s initiatives, why Livepeer project joined C2PA, and its impact on the field of digital media.
1. What challenges does the C2PA address in the field of digital media? How does this relate to the demo presented with Ateme?
The C2PA promotes the authenticity and trustworthiness of digital content by adding provenance information (including authorship, editing, and model training permissions) at each stage of the media distribution workflow.
At the NAB conference in April, our demo with Ateme demonstrated how breaking the provenance chain indicates to the viewer that the video was impermissibly manipulated, highlighting the importance of maintaining content integrity.
2. What impact do you see C2PA having on content creators and publishers?
Publishers are seeking strategies to label increasingly indistinguishable human- and AI-generated content, which is already a clear and present danger for static images and is on the horizon for video content. Cryptographically secure attestations at every phase of the media supply chain help end-users understand the source of their content, whether AI-generated or human-generated. For creators interested in monetization and concerned about misappropriation, knowing their content is used as intended and correctly credited is paramount.
3. In what ways do you believe that the Livepeer project joining the C2PA coalition benefits a company like Livepeer Studio?
When we evaluate a new technology or industry association at Livepeer Studio, we start by thinking about the advantages to our customers and viewers around the globe. Promoting content authenticity and building a more stable foundation for trustworthy video on the internet will ultimately contribute to the growth of our business. Moreover, with content authenticity gaining mainstream traction, provenance tooling is rapidly becoming imperative for long-term business success as an infrastructure vendor.
4. How do C2PA’s initiatives help combat misinformation and enhance media authenticity?
C2PA initiatives are crucial for combating misinformation and enhancing media authenticity by ensuring the integrity of the media creation and distribution process at scale and at speed. C2PA’s technical approach attaches relevant information about a video’s source and provenance to a video such that this information moves with the video and enables downstream consumers to evaluate whether the content they are consuming has been changed.
5. What future developments in C2PA are you most excited about, and how do you foresee them influencing the industry?
I'm particularly excited about three areas: tying attestations more closely to the content through steganography, creator attestations, and integration in open-source tooling like FFmpeg.
Respectively, these developments will more effectively secure provenance information, give creators more control over their content, and make it easier for developers to leverage authenticity in their workflows.
6. What steps can other companies take if they are interested in supporting or joining the C2PA?
If a company is interested in supporting the C2PA, I’d suggest that they first go through an exercise to understand the role that provenance plays in their workflow. I think most companies will find that integrity - of data, of media, of authorship - is a critical part of their offering to end users and therefore deserves attention in product strategy.
Engaging with the C2PA offers an actionable way for companies to start addressing authenticity in their workflows, and advances a systematic approach to stamp out misinformation on the internet.
Conclusion
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the need for trustworthy and authentic content cannot be overstated. Livepeer Studio, together with the C2PA coalition, is forging a path toward a future where media authenticity and integrity are the standards, not the exceptions.
If you're interested in learning more about how C2PA is transforming the digital media ecosystem, we encourage you to visit the C2PA’s official website for in-depth information.
Additionally, to see these concepts in action, be sure to watch our demo with Ateme, showcasing the impact of maintaining content provenance and authenticity throughout the media supply chain.
We invite anyone to Contact Us to take advantage of the work we have done or join us in building a more secure and credible digital future.
