Google has introduced digital watermarks for images edited with the Magic Editor’s “Reimagine” feature in Google Photos on Pixel 9 devices.

This feature, released this week, aims to increase transparency about generative AI in photo editing.

The “Reimagine” tool, launched in 2024, allows users to make extensive modifications to photos with generative AI, raising concerns about distinguishing between original images and AI-modified images.

Google’s SynthID, developed by the DeepMind division, embeds digital watermarks in AI-edited images without altering the visual content.

Users can also use SynthID to check for already embedded watermarks.

This technology is in beta and also supports AI-generated text and video.

Images with watermarks can be identified via the “About this Image” metadata in Google Photos. However, minor edits like slight color adjustments in background elements may not be detected.

Recent Google developments