Google expands access to AI detector for images, videos

Google has expanded access to its SynthID Detector, allowing people worldwide to check images, videos and audio files for signs of artificial intelligence-generated content, as concerns grow over how to identify AI-created media online.

The tool is now available globally in English, enabling users to check whether media was generated using AI tools from Google and its partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple expected to join soon.

PUNCH Online on Saturday reported that Google DeepMind’s Vice-President of Science and Strategic Initiatives, Pushmeet Kohli, disclosed this in a statement published on the company’s blog on October 7, 2026.

Kohli said the expansion was part of Google’s effort to help people make informed decisions about the content they encounter online as AI tools become more accessible and sophisticated.

“As AI tools become better and easier to use, having clear context about the content you encounter online helps you make informed decisions about what to trust,” he said.

Google introduced SynthID in 2023 to help identify AI-generated media through imperceptible watermarks embedded in images, videos and audio.

According to Kohli, the technology has so far been used to watermark more than 180 billion images and videos, as well as 240,000 years of audio content.

“To date, we’ve watermarked over 180 billion images and videos, along with 240,000 years of audio content,” he said.

The latest development follows Google’s introduction of an early version of the SynthID Detector last year, which was designed to help media professionals verify AI-generated content.

Explaining the expansion, Kohli said, “Last year, we introduced an early version of the SynthID Detector to help media professionals verify AI-generated content. Now, we’re expanding access to everyone – with the tool available globally in English starting today.”

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The detector allows users to submit images, videos or audio files to check for indications that they were created using supported AI systems.

“With the new SynthID Detector, anyone can easily check if an image, video, or audio file was made with AI from Google or our partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA, Kakao, and soon, Apple,” Kohli said.

The tool is available through SynthID Detector.

Google said the detector complements existing verification features available in its Search service, Gemini application and Chrome browser.

According to Kohli, those features now handle more than one million requests daily.

“This tool joins our built-in verification features in Search, the Gemini app, and Chrome, which now regularly handle over 1 million requests daily,” he said.

He added that the initiative was intended to provide users with more information about the media they encounter online.

“It’s all part of our ongoing work to give you more context about the media you see online, so you can navigate the web with confidence,” Kohli said.

The expansion comes as AI-generated images, videos and audio become increasingly common across digital platforms, making it more important for users to establish the origins of media they encounter.