The detector can recognise watermarks from Google as well as supported AI companies such as OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao.
Google introduced SynthID technology in 2023
Photo Credit: Google
Google is making it easier for people to figure out whether the images, videos and audio they come across online were created using AI. Its SynthID Detector, which was earlier available only to media professionals, is now rolling out globally in English. The tool checks media for invisible AI watermarks and can work with content from Google and other supported AI companies. Google is also bringing AI-content checks to more of its services, including Search, Gemini and Chrome.
Google has started making its SynthID Detector available to everyone globally, giving people a way to check whether an image, video or audio file contains a watermark linked to AI-generated content. The tool was previously limited to media professionals, but is now available in English worldwide. SynthID was introduced in 2023 and has since been used to watermark more than 180 billion images and videos, along with 240,000 years' worth of audio.
The Mountain-View based tech giant initially offered the SynthID Detector in an early version to media professionals last year. With the wider rollout, anyone can upload an image, video or audio file and check whether it contains a SynthID watermark. These watermarks are designed to remain invisible, so they do not change how the media looks or sounds.
The detector can recognise watermarks from Google as well as supported AI companies such as OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao. Apple is also expected to be added soon, although Google has not said when. It is worth noting that the tool does not simply look at a file and decide whether AI was used to create it. It checks for the specific SynthID watermark, so media without one may not be identified even if it was generated using AI.
Google already offers similar checks through Search, the Gemini app and Chrome. The company says these existing verification features are now handling more than one million requests every day.
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