Anyone can now use Google's new SynthID website to find out whether an image, video or audio clip came from an AI generator.
The site went live on Tuesday. Until now, access was limited: Google gave select journalists, media professionals and researchers a testing version at last year's Google I/O, and it has now widened that to the general public, according to reports.
Supported File Types
Image uploads can be JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, WEBP, AVIF, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF, TIF or GIF. Video files can be MP4, MOV or WEBM. Audio files can be WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC or M4A. In all, the site accepts 11 image formats, 3 video formats and 6 audio formats, Tech Crunch reported.
The Technology Behind It
The new site relies on SynthID, which Google first introduced in 2023. Google's own generation models, Nano Banana, Veo and Lyria, put a SynthID watermark on everything they create, and so do Google tools with generation features: Gemini, Flow, ProducerAI and Vids.
Backing From Other Companies
SynthID isn't a Google-only effort. OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao support it as well, and OpenAI runs its own site where people can check content. Apple is reportedly planning to add support soon.
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Built Into Gemini And Chrome
Verification is already part of the Gemini app and Chrome. Google says people currently send 1 million verification requests a day.
Rival Systems Have Limits
Microsoft and Meta run their own watermarking and verification standards. Neither is foolproof: their tools have often missed content produced by their own models.
The Launch At A Glance
- What it is: a Google website that checks whether images, video and audio were made with AI
- Who can use it: everyone; testing last year was limited to select journalists, media professionals and researchers
- Launch day: Tuesday
- Technology: SynthID, introduced by Google in 2023
- File formats: 11 image, 3 video and 6 audio types
- Google tools that use it: Nano Banana, Veo, Lyria, Gemini, Flow, ProducerAI and Vids
- Other supporters: OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao; Apple reportedly soon
- Verification points: the website, the Gemini app and Chrome
- Volume: 1 million verification requests a day, per Google
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How It All Fits Together
Put simply: Google's models and generation tools watermark their output with SynthID, and SynthID is what Google uses to identify AI-generated media on the new site and in the Gemini app and Chrome. Other companies support SynthID too, while Microsoft and Meta rely on their own standards, whose tools have often missed content from their own models. In short, a tool that Google first offered to a small group of testers is now available to everyone.
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