How Google will make spotting AI-generated images easier

As time goes on, more AI-generated images are popping up on the internet. It’s to the point where we’re starting to see more AI-generated images than real images! While, in most cases, AI images aren’t all that bad, the issue is identifying them. Well, Google wants to make it easier to identify AI-generated images in Google Search.

Companies have labeling systems in place to help people identify AI-generated media. For example, Meta has a system in place to help people identify AI content across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The company recently made it harder to identify images modified with AI, however.

Google will make it easier to identify AI content in Search

This news revolves around something called the C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity). This is an entity that strives to help companies properly identify AI-generated content. It’s a technical standard that companies need to implement so that they can be able to better spot and label AI-generated content.

Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, OpenAI, ARM, Intel, and TruePic have already backed the authentication, and Google is also among the list. While all of these companies have agreed to implement the standard, Google will be the first one to properly test this standard.

When an image is surfaced on Google, the goal is to be able to identify the origin of content on the internet. Companies like Sony and Leica, for instance, have integrated the standard into some of their cameras. This will add metadata to images taken on these cameras that will let the viewer know the model of the camera, the settings used, and even the location where the picture was taken.

This will help Google be able to know if an image was taken with an actual camera rather than spat out of an AI image generator. Companies like Nikkon and Cannon have also agreed to take on the standard. We’re still waiting for them to properly integrate it into their cameras.

This won’t only be for Google Search results

Along with search results, Google also wants to integrate this standard into its ads. This would be a major win for people who oppose AI scams. This isn’t to say that all ads that use AI are automatically scams. The thing is that, with the rise in AI, we’ve seen a rise in AI scams across the internet.

Also, Google wants to use the C2PA standard to help identify AI-generated content on YouTube. This is all still up in the air, we’re going to have to wait to see what Google is planning on doing.