when you re-crop a photo or use the perspective tool, you are literally distorting the image. not to mention, all of the processing that happens in modern cameras before you even see the image. in the case of a modern smartphone in particular, I think it's fair to say that you never really see the "real" image as captured by the CCD sensor, and even if you did you would not like it anyway.

Not sure I agree with the cropping argument, would be no different than cutting a printed photo with scissors. I would lump the other image manipulations done by hardware into "AI manipulation" as well, although those tend to be much more modest.

cropping doesn't alter the moment captured. or, rather, you're also cropping when taking a picture - no camera can capture all 360 degrees.

so what is being captured is altered from the get.

yet i don't think you'd argue that the act of taking a photo is the same as photoshopping a giant giraffe into a photo :P

i don't think arguing that taking a photo which is cropped/enhanced (as in sharpening, color correction, ...) is akin to changing what's displayed in it.

those distortions only serve to let us better focus on what truly happened in a moment, not change the moment in essence.