Skip to main content

Google’s AI image-detection tool feels like it could work

Google announced during its I/O developers conference on Wednesday its plans to launch a tool that will distinguish whether images that show up in its search results are AI-generated images.

With the increasing popularity of AI-generated content, there is a need to confirm whether the content is authentic — as in created by humans — or if it has been developed by AI.

Google's about this image feature will tell users if an image is AI generated.

The tool, aptly named About this image, will essentially be exif (exchangeable image file format) data for AI-generated images and will be available this summer. It will allow you to access information about an image to determine its authenticity as human-developed content.

The tool will include information about when the image was first indexed by Google, where it first showed up online, and where else it has been featured, Google said in a blog post.

You will be able to access it by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner of an image in search results. Alternatively, you can look up these details via Google Lens or by swiping up in the Google app.

Given the way Google image searches already work, this feels like it might actually work.

The company added that the tool has been developed to help battle misinformation online. It quoted a 2022 Poynter study, in which 62% of people stated they believed they’d been subject to false information either daily or weekly.

Some viral moments involving AI-generated images that many believed were real include the image of Pope Francis wearing a fancy white puffer coat and another image of Donald Trump being arrested, both of which were sourced by the AI-image generator Midjourney.

Notably, the About this image tool comes on the heels of Google’s plans to launch its own text-to-image generator, which the company says will feature data so those who view the images can identify them as AI-generated.

Google also noted that other image companies such as Shutterstock and Midjourney plan to soon introduce similar features to their AI-generated content.

Editors' Recommendations

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
Steve Wozniak warns AI will make scams even more convincing
steve wozniak tweets wife may be patient zero coronavirus usa speaking 3 2

Steve Wozniak has been sharing his thoughts about the new wave of AI-powered tools that have gained so much attention in recent months.

Speaking to the BBC this week, the Apple co-founder said he fears that the technology will be increasingly used by cybercriminals to make online scams more convincing and therefore harder to spot.

Read more
Protect public from AI risks, White House tells tech giants
A robot holding scales of justice.

At a meeting of prominent tech leaders at the White House on Thursday, vice president Kamala Harris reminded attendees that they have an “ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security” of the new wave of generative AI tools that have gained huge attention in recent months.

The meeting is part of a wider effort to engage with advocates, companies, researchers, civil rights organizations, not-for-profit organizations, communities, international partners, and others on important AI issues, the White House said.

Read more
AI could replace around 7,800 jobs at IBM as part of a hiring pause
The ChatGPT website on a laptop's screen as the laptop sits on a counter in front of a black background.

A valid concern that is often brought up in the discourse surrounding AI and automation is the prospect that many jobs could disappear due to being replaced by the new technology. And the latest example of this is the recent news that IBM may include the use of AI and automation in its plans to pause hiring for certain roles within the company.

Bloomberg has reported that among IBM's plans for a hiring pause for certain "back-office functions," IBM could replace approximately 7,800 jobs with AI and automation over a span of five years.

Read more