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Glossary

XMP: the XML packet that carries declared provenance

XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is an ISO-standardised, RDF/XML metadata packet embedded in image, video and document files that carries namespaced properties such as the creator tool, descriptions and the IPTC Digital Source Type used to declare AI generation.

Definitions and isGenAI behaviour as of October 2026. Updated .

See the term in a real reportFrequently asked questions
Code-drawn illustration for XMP

Illustration · PNG file

  1. Signature + IHDR
  2. iTXt XML:com.adobe.xmprecord
  3. tEXt parameters
  4. tEXt prompt / workflow
  5. tEXt invokeai_metadata
  6. eXIf
  7. caBX C2PA manifest
  8. IDAT pixels
  9. IEND

AI source type declared

The file labels itself as AI-made.

IPTC DigitalSourceType such as trainedAlgorithmicMedia is read from XMP and shown with its exact value.

Check an image →
AI source type declared: where this record sits inside a PNG file and what the isGenAI report says about it. The picture is a code-drawn illustration.

What XMP holds

An XMP packet is XML inside the file: JPEG APP1, PNG iTXt keyed XML:com.adobe.xmp, WebP’s XMP chunk, TIFF tag 700, HEIF items and PDF metadata streams. Properties are grouped by namespace: dc for descriptions, xmp for CreatorTool and dates, photoshop for history, Iptc4xmpExt for the Digital Source Type. Midjourney’s prompt in the description, Meta AI’s source type and many generator tags live here.

XMP is unsigned text; it is the most common place for a declaration and the first thing most platforms discard.

How isGenAI uses XMP

isGenAI parses the packet as XML with document-type declarations rejected, resolves namespace prefixes to their URIs rather than trusting prefix names, and reads the IPTC Digital Source Type as an attribute, element or RDF resource. It also scans XMP text for AI statements and quotes the snippet. Findings name the XMP field so you can confirm them in the EXIF viewer, which lists XMP properties alongside EXIF.

XMP versus C2PA

XMP declares; C2PA signs. A C2PA manifest can embed the same IPTC values inside a signed assertion, which is why isGenAI reports the manifest version as strong and the bare XMP version as moderate.

XMP can also record an edit history through photoshop and xmpMM properties such as DocumentID and DerivedFrom. These identifiers link versions of a file, but because they are unsigned they describe what the editor wrote, not an authenticated chain.

How to use this term when checking a file

  1. Upload the original file to the AI image detector or the tool named on the page.
  2. Find the finding that uses this term under “How we checked” and read the source field it names.
  3. Weigh it by kind: a signed record, a declared field, a saved prompt and a matching copy are different strengths of evidence.
  4. Remember that absence of a record is not evidence of a human author.

See the term in a real report

Frequently asked questions

What does <?xpacket begin mean?

It opens an XMP packet: the processing instruction <?xpacket begin="" id="W5M0MpCehiHzreSzNTczkc9d"?> marks where the XMP XML starts inside a file, and <?xpacket end="w"?> closes it. In a PNG the packet sits in an iTXt chunk keyed XML:com.adobe.xmp; the EXIF viewer shows it.

Does XMP prove AI generation?

It declares it. A proper IPTC Digital Source Type in XMP is reported as moderate declarative evidence; it is editable and unsigned.

Which AI tools write XMP?

Midjourney, Meta AI and Microsoft are documented adopters of IPTC values in XMP; many editors write CreatorTool. See the generator pages.

Can XMP survive a social upload?

Rarely. Most platforms strip it; LinkedIn and TikTok read C2PA rather than XMP for their labels.

Sources

Definitions follow the published standards linked above; the isGenAI behaviour described is the deployed checker as of October 2026.