Google has introduced a new update to the Gemini app that lets anyone check whether an image was created or edited using the company’s AI models. The feature uses SynthID, Google’s invisible watermarking system, to identify AI-generated content directly from an uploaded image.
Using it is straightforward: upload an image to Gemini and ask something like “Was this created with Google AI?” or “Is this AI-generated?” The app will scan for SynthID’s embedded signal and confirm whether Google AI was involved. If no watermark is detected, Gemini still provides contextual reasoning to help users understand what they’re looking at.
SynthID has existed since 2023 and has already been applied to billions of AI-generated images, but this update marks one of Google’s first major pushes to make verification widely available to everyday users — not just journalists or media professionals who previously tested the detection portal.
Google says the update is part of a broader effort to increase transparency across its AI ecosystem. The company plans to expand SynthID verification beyond images to video, audio, and additional formats, and bring it to more products, including Google Search.
In parallel, Google is rolling out C2PA metadata for images generated by its new model — Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) — across the Gemini app, Vertex AI, and Google Ads. This industry-standard metadata provides additional information about how the content was produced, and Google plans to extend support to more products in the near future.
Long term, Google aims to make Gemini capable of verifying not only its own AI outputs but also media created by non-Google models, as long as they embed C2PA credentials. This would position Gemini as a broader tool for determining the origins of digital content at a time when synthetic media is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality.
Google frames the effort as part of its commitment to responsible AI development and increasing user trust in digital content.
For more details on this update, you can read Google’s full announcement on their official blog here.
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