Google announces tools that identifies misleading and AI images

With AI tools having made the creation of photorealistic fakes trivial, Google is adding two new features to its image search to reduce the spread of misinformation. The presence of images online is a growing issue in the AI age, with several start-ups now working to produce verification and authentication tools. 

The Alphabet company’s first new feature is called “About this image,” giving additional context like when an image was first indexed by Google, where they first appeared and where else they’ve shown up online. 

The intent is to help users pinpoint the original source while also contextualizing an image with any debunking evidence that might have been provided by news organizations. 

Google will mark every AI-generated image created by its tools as such. The company is working with other platforms and services to make sure they add the same markup to the files they put out. Midjourney and Shutterstock are among the publishers Google has on board, and the goal is to ensure that all AI content that appears in search results is flagged as such. 

Google’s new features, which are rolling out over the course of this year, are comparatively lower-tech, though they may have a bigger positive impact with sufficient industry support.