- You can now identify AI-generated images in the Gemini app
- Google uses SynthID technology to identify any AI image created with a Google app
- Google will also maintain a visible watermark on all AI images created in the free and Google AI Pro tiers.
AI-generated images, at least those created with Google apps, are now easier to spot. Starting today, you can upload an image you’re not sure about in the Gemini app on your phone and simply ask, “Was this image generated by Google AI?”
The technology that enables this feature is called SynthID. Google says it is starting its rollout in images, but will soon expand it to audio and video.
A statement from Google says: “In addition to SynthID, we will maintain a visible watermark (the Gemini glow) on images generated by free and Google AI Pro level users, to make images even easier to detect as generated by Google AI.”
Although Google adds that “recognizing the need for a clean visual canvas for professional work, we will remove the visible watermark from images generated by Google AI Ultra subscribers.”
Uploading the image to the Gemini app is easy. All you need to do is tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen, then choose Files either Gallerydepending on where the file is located (Gallery here it means Photosfor the iOS users among us). Once you have uploaded the image, simply write a message like “Is this image generated by AI?” and touch the > icon to send it.
Is it effective?
Google introduced SynthID in 2023. Since then, more than 20 billion pieces of AI-generated content have been watermarked with its use. When you ask Gemini if an image you uploaded was created with AI, it will check the SynthID watermark and then use its own reasoning to return an answer that gives you more context about the image.
I tried using Gemini to check whether an image I created using the new Nano Banana Pro was AI-generated and identified the invisible watermark, although Gemini’s visible watermark (the glow) at the bottom right of the image was a dead giveaway, anyway.
But how is Gemini doing with AI images that aren’t created by Google? Obviously, when I uploaded an image created using ChatGPT (which doesn’t use a visual watermark) into Gemini, it couldn’t locate a SynthID watermark (because there isn’t one) and could only make its best guess of whether the image was AI from visual clues. He decided yes, but I didn’t feel it was particularly safe.
I tested it with a random image I found online and it said, “This image is not made with Google AI, but it is not possible to determine if it was generated with other AI tools.”
My overall impression is that Google’s efforts to help detect AI images are a step in the right direction, but until there is a digital watermarking system that is widely adopted by all AI imaging platforms and targeted at consumers, it will remain a flawed system at best.
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