The tool is now available worldwide in English, enabling users to check whether media was created using supported artificial intelligence tools from Google and its partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple expected to join soon.
According to a statement published on Google’s blog on October 7, 2026, Google DeepMind’s Vice-President of Science and Strategic Initiatives, Pushmeet Kohli, said the expansion was aimed at helping people make informed decisions about the content they encounter online.
“As AI tools become better and easier to use, having clear context about the content you encounter online helps you make informed decisions about what to trust,” Kohli said.
Google introduced SynthID in 2023 to help identify AI-generated media through imperceptible watermarks embedded in images, videos and audio.
Kohli said the technology had so far been used to watermark more than 180 billion images and videos, alongside 240,000 years’ worth of audio content.
“Last year, we introduced an early version of the SynthID Detector to help media professionals verify AI-generated content. Now, we’re expanding access to everyone – with the tool available globally in English starting today,” he said.
The detector allows users to submit supported media files for analysis to determine whether they contain SynthID watermarks associated with AI-generated content.
Kohli said the tool supports content created using AI systems from Google and partner companies, including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple expected to join the initiative.
The detector also complements existing verification features available through Google Search, the Gemini app and Chrome browser, which Kohli said collectively handle more than one million requests daily.
“This tool joins our built-in verification features in Search, the Gemini app, and Chrome, which now regularly handle over 1 million requests daily,” he said.
He added that the initiative was part of Google’s broader effort to provide users with more context about digital media and help them navigate online content with greater confidence.
The expansion comes as AI-generated images, videos and audio become increasingly common across digital platforms, raising concerns about misinformation and the difficulty of distinguishing synthetic content from authentic recordings.
However, SynthID detection is designed to identify watermarks from supported AI systems; it should not be treated as a definitive test for whether all media is genuine or AI-generated.
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