Google Photos Might Soon Let You Detect AI-Generated Photos

It’s safe to say that we have more AI image generators available online and barely any trustworthy AI image detectors. And given how it’s super easy to generate such images now, it’s necessary that we have equally accessible tools to tell real and AI images apart. Well, such tools may soon become readily available to Android users, with Google Photos likely getting an integrated AI image detection feature.

Recently, in Android Authority’s latest APK teardown of Google Photos v7.3, they noticed that the team is working on an AI-generated image detection tool. They spotted new lines in the XML code that give away the possible update.

For starters, there’s a new “” line in the code, which could display an AI-generated image’s credit tag. For example, when an image is generated via Google Gemini, the “Made with Google AI” tag is generally displayed right in the EXIF data.

Additionally, Android Authority also spotted the “” line of code which, from the way it sounds, could let us in on the kind of AI tool that’s been used to generate or modify an image.

Meanwhile, the additional “” line in the code that they spotted could reveal the media source. Finally, the APK breakdown also revealed a “compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia” value, which Google Photos will likely use to detect Generative AI-enhanced or modified images.

From the looks of it, all these details can be easily found in an AI-generated image’s details right within the Google Photos app. Currently, it doesn’t display much, apart from the device used, resolution, size, and the usual.

However, as of now, that’s all that could be derived from this APK breakdown. Since Google’s Synth ID is also in line to soon go open-source, this revelation is not particularly surprising. Note that it is not currently live yet. APK teardowns also let us in on the possible features that an Android app may be working on, and they are subject to either making it or not seeing the light of day at all.

When I tested out the Pixel Reimagine feature in Magic Editor, I was blown away by its malicious potential. Moreover, I also noticed that when an image is generated or modified using the Pixel’s Reimagine in Magic Editor, there are no telltale EXIF data signs.

That’s all the more worrisome, and Google Photos getting such a feature certainly puts me at ease. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the groundbreaking feature to make it and finally help us detect those easily altered images.

Most importantly, it will help us stop misinformation dead in its tracks. While AI is doing a lot of good, its extremely malicious potential can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked. So, if you’re wondering how to detect AI-generated images, the process will hopefully become a whole lot easier soon.

With that being said, what do you think about Google Photos finally getting an AI-generated image detection system? Let me know in the comments down below!