Google's newest image feature is meant to help you identify the context and veracity of photos you see on the internet, including if artificial intelligence may have enhanced or created the photo.
Google announced the feature, called About This Image, on Wednesday. It'll work in conjunction with Circle to Search for phones that support that feature and more broadly in Google Lens for iOS and Android. When selecting an image through either search function, the About This Image tool will provide context about how the photo has been used or created. You'll be able to find About this Image by swiping up on the search results that pop up after selecting an image and then tapping that option.
This could include how other news outlets or websites have used the photo, the photo's metadata (information from inside a photo file that may include details about the file) and whether the image has been enhanced or generated by AI.
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That latter point could be especially helpful as generative AI tools become more common. Newer Android phones made by Samsung and Google have packed in AI features in recent months, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google's Pixel 8 Pro. Apple Intelligence is also set to make its debut in iOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia, adding the ability to create a custom emoji or rewrite text, which could make AI-generated images especially common. Google's About this Image will be able to identify AI-generated photos that contain Google DeepMind's SynthID watermark.
This contextual image feature arrives two weeks before Google plans to unveil the upcoming Pixel 9 lineup on Aug. 13, with its Gemini AI assistant continuing to be a highlighted feature. It's highly likely that the company's upcoming Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold phones -- which Google already showcased in photos on the company's official website -- will demonstrate new ways to leverage the AI assistant.