Google has expanded access to its SynthID Detector, allowing people worldwide to check images, videos and audio files for signs that they were generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of Science aznd Strategic Initiatives at Google DeepMind, announced the development in a blog post. The tool, previously available in an early version to media professionals, is now available globally in English.
It allows users to check whether images, videos and audio contain SynthID watermarks in supported AI-generated content from Google and partners including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao. Apple is expected to join soon.
The expansion comes as technology companies develop tools to give users more context about the origins of digital content as generative AI becomes more widely used.
Google said the expanded access is intended to help people make informed decisions about the media they encounter online.
Kohli said Google had been using SynthID to help identify AI-generated media since introducing the technology in 2023.
SynthID embeds imperceptible watermarks in supported AI-generated images, videos and audio. The detector allows users to check whether a file contains a SynthID watermark.
Google introduced an early version of the detector last year to help media professionals verify AI-generated content. The latest expansion makes the tool available to the wider public.
The detector complements verification features in Google Search, the Gemini app and Chrome, which Google said collectively handle more than one million requests daily.
The expansion of Google’s verification tool comes amid growing concerns over the use of synthetic media to impersonate individuals, spread misleading information and facilitate online fraud.
In Nigeria, the risks have become particularly visible in financial scams involving fabricated videos of public figures, while regulators and technology companies are exploring ways to identify manipulated content and protect individuals from its misuse.
Google’s expanded detector gives users a way to check supported images, videos and audio for SynthID watermarks. However, it is not a universal detection system, and a file without a detectable watermark should not automatically be treated as authentic.
