Techbytes: Google opens AI content detector to public

Users can upload an image, video or audio file to the detector to check whether it contains the watermark.

However, the tool is not a universal AI detection system. It identifies content carrying SynthID rather than determining whether any media without the watermark was created by artificial intelligence.

Google says the technology can detect watermarks in content generated by its own AI tools and those of partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple expected to join later.

The expansion comes as AI-generated images, videos and audio become increasingly realistic, making it more difficult for users to distinguish synthetic media from authentic recordings.

Google said it had watermarked more than 180 billion images and videos, as well as the equivalent of 240,000 years of audio, since introducing SynthID in 2023.

The company says the detector provides an additional way for users to establish whether digital content carries a recognised AI watermark, although its findings do not independently establish the authenticity of material that lacks one.

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