Google Photos app to let users know if images are AI-generated

With the advent of generative Artificial Intelligence technology, phone app developers are coming up with innovative features to transform dull, sombre pictures and videos into cool social-media-worthy content.

Some apps let users morph faces to add a comedic touch, like the viral video on Instagram where an unknown user superimposed the faces of top Malayalam actors-- Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Fahadh Faasil- on characters from The Godfather played by Al Pacino, Alex Rocco, and John Cazale, respectively.

But, some are being misused to malign celebrities, politicians and even ex-partners.

Now, Google has announced that Android phone users will soon be able to identify if the photos stored on Google Photos are real or synthetically created using generative AI apps.

Besides the photo captured through the phone, the images that are forwarded on messenger apps such as WhatsApp also get stored on the Google Photos app.

"Photos edited with tools like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser and Zoom Enhance already include metadata based on technical standards from The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) to indicate that they’ve been edited using generative AI," said John Fisher, Engineering Director, Google Photos and Google One.

Here's how to check if the photo stored on Google Photos is fake or real:

Step 1: Open the Google Photos app.

Step 2: Select the photo you want to check.

Step 3: Tap the three dots in the top right corner.

Step 4: Select "Details" to view the metadata

Google Photos can help people detect if the photo is AI generated fake image or real.

Besides helping users know if an image is created using generative AI, Google Photos will use IPTC metadata to indicate when a synthetic image is composed of elements from different photos using non-generative features.

The company will soon release an update to Google Photos app via a backend server update to all eligible phones this week.

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