LONDON: Google is preparing to launch a new tool called “About this image,” which will help users identify artificial intelligence-generated images.
The upgrade to Google’s image search is seen as a first step toward combating the potential for misinformation that could arise from the advent of AI technology.
The tool is designed to offer users a broader context around an image by providing information such as the time when Google first indexed the image and similar ones and the website where the image first appeared.
The “About this image” feature also tells users where the image has been displayed online, such as news sites, social media, and fact-checking websites.
“With this background information on an image, you can get a better understanding of whether an image is reliable — or if you need to take a second look,” the tech giant said in a statement.
Google also announced a second feature aimed at mitigating the potential downsides of AI-generated image technology.
It said that every AI-generated image created using Bard or similar services will have a markup in the original file.
This is designed to provide context if the image is encountered outside of Google’s platforms.
Creators and publishers will also be able to add similar markups to their own AI-generated images. By doing so, a label will be added to the images in Google Search results that will mark them as AI-generated.
Google says several publishers are already on board to adopt this feature, including Midjourney, Shutterstock and others.
Although the low-cost, easy-to-use features alone will not likely solve the wider problem of AI images used to mislead or misinform, the tech titan said it hopes they will help address the problem.
Google’s “About this image” is part of its ongoing effort to improve information literacy by “helping people quickly and easily assess the context and credibility of images.”
The tech giant has not offered details regarding when it will launch the new feature but said the service will be available in the coming months.
“Google Search is built from the ground up to deliver reliable, helpful and high-quality information. And these two new features are just the latest ways we’re helping you make sense of what you find online and keep up with an ever-changing web,” Google concluded.
