Google is partnering with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to develop technology to identify whether an image was captured by a camera, edited by a program like Photoshop, or generated by a generative AI model like Google's own Gemini model, or generated by a generative AI model such as Google's own Gemini model

As part of this technology, a new “About This Image” feature will be added to Google search results that will inform users how the image was created or edited

Google outlined the upcoming tool in a blog post, outlining the system that will come with C2PA The coalition is a group aimed at addressing false alarms and AI-generated images The group has created an authentication technology standard that includes information about the origin of content to create a digital trail

The standard is supported by major companies investing in the AI field, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Adobe So far, the standard has not been adopted However, Google's incorporation of this standard into its search results will be the first major test for this standard

Google has stated that it will work with the latest version of this standard (21) and will combine it with the upcoming release of the C2PA trust list This trust list will allow Google Search to verify the source of an image [For example, if data indicates that an image was taken with a particular camera model, the trust list will help verify that this information is accurate,” explained Laurie Richardson, Google's vice president of trust and safety

Authentication information is provided by two specific Google products: search and advertising

“Our goal is to enhance this over time and use C2PA's signals to help inform how key policies are applied,” Richardson says

Other AI companies have joined C2PA and added credentials since the beginning These include OpenAI, which joined the coalition in May of this year Runway, which just signed a major deal with Lionsgate, launched its C2PA credential with the third AI video generation

“Establishing and signaling the provenance of content remains a complex challenge, with a variety of considerations depending on the product or service,” says Richardson And while we know there is no silver bullet solution for all content online, it is important to work with others in the industry to create a sustainable and interoperable solution”