Google Unveils New Tool To Detect AI-Generated Content

Google has unveiled a new SynthID Detector tool to identify AI-generated content. The tech giant has described the SynthID Detector as “a verification portal” that can “quickly and efficiently identify AI-generated content made with Google AI.” Google first introduced SynthID in 2023 as a digital watermark designed to identify images created by its Imagen AI model.

"When you upload an image, audio track, video or piece of text created using Google's AI tools, the portal will scan the media for a SynthID watermark. If a watermark is detected, the portal will highlight specific portions of the content most likely to be watermarked," said the company in a blog post on May 20. Google took this step as AI-generated media floods online. According to one estimate, the number of deepfake videos alone skyrocketed 550% from 2019 to 2024, reported TechCrunch.

Users simply upload an image, video or text that was created using Google's AI tools. The portal then scans the uploaded media to detect the presence of a SynthID watermark, whether it's embedded in the entire content or just specific portions. Finally, the system presents the results, clearly highlighting which parts of the content are more likely to contain the watermark. It is to be noted that the system only detects media created with tools that use Google’s SynthID specification.