Google Photos will now watermark images edited using its AI-powered Magic Editor feature, enhancing transparency in image editing. The Magic Editor, launched in 2024 for Pixel 9 devices, allows users to utilize the Reimagine function to alter images using AI. This type of digital editing, employing advanced algorithms, enables modifications to aspects like the background or even major visual elements within an image.
While this technology enhances user experience by enabling quick and creative edits, it raises questions about the line between realistic photos and entirely AI-generated images. Google aims to address these concerns by adding a watermark to all photos modified using Reimagine.
To combat increasing confusion surrounding image manipulation, Google has introduced a digital watermark that will be automatically embedded in photos edited with Magic Editor. This watermark doesn't alter the image itself but is subtly inserted into the file's metadata. This system allows the origin of a photo to be tracked and verified without affecting its visual appearance.
The watermark system used by Google is called SynthID. Developed by Google's DeepMind division, SynthID is a technology that inserts a digital marker into AI-generated content. It can distinguish AI-modified images from authentic photos while maintaining the integrity of the original file. Besides being integrated into photos, SynthID can also be used to detect invisible marks in images, videos, or even AI-generated text.
This watermarking initiative is part of Google's broader approach to promoting transparency in AI usage. The company emphasizes that watermark integration is a response to the growing demand for a mechanism to track AI-generated images. By clicking on the "About this image" option, users can easily locate information related to this watermark within the image's metadata. Google clarifies that minor edits to an image, such as changing the color of a small element, might not trigger the watermark, as these are deemed insufficient to warrant detection by SynthID.