Google has released a feature that can verify the authenticity of photos or images, which can be used to combat hoaxes or deepfakes. Especially during election seasons, fake photos or videos are often circulated on social media to target specific groups. Now, the situation has become even more complicated due to the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).
Google announced that it will provide more detailed and contextual information about an image to prevent the spread of false information, as reported by TechCrunch.
This new feature comes with the ability to view the image’s history, metadata, and the context in which users have used it on different websites. The “About this image” feature was actually introduced earlier this year and is now available to all English speakers worldwide.
Users can understand when the image was first “seen” by Google Search to grasp the freshness of a context.
This feature also allows users to understand how people describe the image on other websites to help eliminate hoaxes.
In its official blog, Google mentioned that users can also view metadata (information summarizing basic data about the image) if available, including a field indicating whether the image was created by AI or not.
The company stated that it will label all images created by Google AI.
In October, Adobe, along with companies like Microsoft, Nikon, and Leica, released a symbol to clearly mark AI-generated images.
This new feature can be accessed by tapping the three-dot menu on Google Image results.
Users can also access it by clicking the “more about this page” option within the “About this image” feature, which can be accessed through the three-dot menu. Google noted that they are exploring more ways to make it accessible.
Google also announced that accredited journalists and fact-checkers will be able to upload or copy image URLs to further investigate the images using their own tools with the FaceCheck Claim Search API.
In June, the company began testing the feature with the Fact Check Explorer tool. This provided fact-checkers with the ability to explore fact-checks, references, and other details related to specific images.
Furthermore, the company is experimenting with generative AI to help describe sources such as unknown seller pages or unfamiliar blogs.
Google stated that users who choose to use the Search Generative Experience (SGE) will display AI-generated information about the page in the “more about this page” section.
As AI technology continues to advance, Google is working to provide more information about images, particularly as it becomes easier for users to create different images using generative AI.
The addition of this new feature that allows for image verification or information checking by Google is not entirely new. Several technology companies, such as Adobe and X (formerly Twitter), have also taken similar steps.
In June, Adobe released a toolkit to assist applications and websites in verifying image credentials.
Meanwhile, X launched Community Notes, a program for crowdsourcing fact-checking of images and videos.
