Google Photos will show when images have been modified with AI

The new layer of transparency follows the company releasing loads of AI editing tools.

Big tech firms have been releasing AI tools all over their software offerings over the past year. But as it becomes ever easier to manipulate images and video with generative AI, there's been a second wave of launching companion policies to better inform people when that technology has been applied to content. Google is the latest to follow the trend.

After debuting tools like the Magic Editor last spring and incorporating AI into its video editor last month, Google Photos will begin labeling visual content that has been modified with AI. Google was already tagging AI-modified images with corresponding metadata, but now a plain language statement will accompany edited photos. In the example the company shared in its blog post, there is a section at the bottom of the image details screen titled "AI Info." This then lists a credit of the AI tool used to adapt the image. It will also state when an image has been modified with generative AI or when an image is a composite of several photos without the use of generative AI, such as with the Best Take feature. The new language will appear in Google Photos beginning next week.