Spotting AI images is finally getting easier thanks to OpenAI and Google
OpenAI is teaming up with Google to make AI-generated images easier to spot using invisible watermarks, metadata, and a public verification tool you can use right now.
Koichiko
OpenAI and Google are teaming up to put a stamp on every AI image.
Rachit Agarwal / Digital Trends
Spotting an AI-generated image is getting harder by the day. OpenAI wants to change that, and it is using Google as a partner to accomplish this behemoth task.
OpenAI has announced a significant update to how it handles content provenance, which is just a fancy way of saying how you can tell where an image came from and whether it was AI-generated.
The update has three key parts: C2PA conformance, a new watermarking partnership with Google, and a public tool you can use to verify images yourself.
So what is actually changing?
OpenAI has been adding metadata, called Content Credentials, to images generated by its tools since 2024. This metadata is embedded in all generated images and tells you how it was created. The company has now become a C2PA Conforming Generator, which means other platforms can reliably read and find the information when they encounter OpenAI-generated content.
OpenAI
The bigger news is the partnership with Google. OpenAI is now adding Google DeepMind’s SynthID watermarking to images generated through ChatGPT and the OpenAI API. Unlike metadata, which can be stripped when you screenshot or re-upload an image, SynthID embeds an invisible watermark directly into the image. It is designed to survive the transformations that can typically erase metadata-based detection.
Industry-wide collaboration on content transparency tech is key to a trusted web. 🤝
We’re accelerating the momentum started with @NVIDIA and partnering with @OpenAI, Kakao, and @ElevenLabs to bring SynthID to their generative content — helping give everyone more helpful context… pic.twitter.com/rs3tobexNX
The two systems work together. The metadata carries detailed information about the image’s origin, while the watermark acts as a backup when the metadata doesn’t make it.
How can you check if an image is AI-generated?
OpenAI is previewing a public verification tool at openai.com/verify. You can upload an image, and the tool will check for both Content Credentials and SynthID watermarks to determine if it was generated using OpenAI’s tools.
One important caveat: if the tool finds no watermark or metadata, it will not definitively say the image is not AI-generated. This is because the watermark and metadata can still be spoofed.
OpenAI
Also, not all generative AI companies have partnered up with Google to include SynthID in their images. Unless SynthID or something similar is universally adopted by every generative AI model, no verification tool can tell you with 100% certainty that an image is not generated by AI.
Still, it’s a step in the right direction. AI-generated images have become a mayhem and are widely used for nefarious purposes. A system to recognize ones is absolutely needed, and I am happy Google and OpenAI are paving the way for it.
Rachit is a seasoned tech journalist with over seven years of experience covering the consumer technology landscape.
Google just gave Workspace a 24/7 AI agent that sends emails and books meetings while you sleep
Google announcing five Workspace features at once is either confidence or chaos, but Gemini Spark acting on your behalf while you sleep is the one that actually changes what a productivity suite is supposed to do.
At the I/O 2026, Google announced several AI-powered updates for its Workspace apps. The main highlight of the announcement is Gemini Spark, a 24/7 personal AI agent that doesn’t just answer questions but takes actions on your behalf.
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Gemini can now make videos, brief your morning, and do digital chores while you sleep
Gemini is now an AI intern that never logs off
Google is giving the Gemini app a massive update, bringing a bunch of nifty changes. The chatbot phase is fading, and the company now wants Gemini to become something closer to a full-time digital assistant.
During Google I/O 2026, the company announced a redesigned Gemini app along with a new model, proactive daily summaries, video tools, and a 24/7 agent called Gemini Spark. Google claims that Gemini has now reached more than 900 million monthly users across 230 countries and more than 70 languages, up from 400 million last year.
Google Search is getting AI agents that will monitor the web for you
Set up an agent once, and Search will notify you when it finds what you're looking for.
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A new search box
