Google on Tuesday launched a new website that lets anyone verify whether a piece of media — an image, video, or audio clip — was generated using AI, TechCrunch reports. The tool, previously available only to select journalists, researchers, and media professionals, is now open to the public.
The site supports a wide range of formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP, and HEIC images; MP4 and WEBM videos; and WAV, MP3, and M4A audio. It works by detecting SynthID, the invisible watermarking technology Google introduced in 2023. The company's Nano Banana, Veo, and Lyria models — along with generation-capable tools like Gemini, Flow, ProducerAI, and Vids — all watermark the media they produce.
OpenAI, Nvidia, and Kakao also support SynthID, and Apple is said to be adding support soon. Google has baked verification into the Gemini app and Google Chrome, and says people already make one million verification requests every day.
The launch comes as AI-generated misinformation becomes harder to spot by eye. But the tools are not infallible: Microsoft and Meta run their own watermarking standards, and researchers have shown that watermarks can be stripped or evaded, meaning verification is one layer of defense — not a silver bullet.
