Google has added two new features to its image search. Photos on the search engine will soon have the ‘About this image’ option and AI-generated image labels. The search giant aims to combat the spread of misinformation with new features. Ever since ChatGPT came into existence, AI bots like Midjourney or Stable Fusion have been used to create fake images and spread misinformation online.
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Google ‘About this image’ search tool: What is it?
In a blog post, Google said that 62 percent of people believe they come across misinformation daily or weekly, according to a 2022 Poynter study. With the newly introduced ‘About this image’ tool, users can easily access the context and credibility of the images. It will show information like when the images and similar images were indexed by Google, where they may have first appeared online, and where else it has appeared since, like news, social, and fact-checking sites.
How to use Google’s About this image search tool?
To use the “About this image” tool, follow the following simple steps-
- Open an image you want to view
- Tap on the drop-down menu icon beside the close button at the top right
- Select the ‘About this image’ option
- Scroll down to learn more information
Google has demonstrated how the tool works with a picture of a moon landing. With the tool option, users are able to see news articles pointing out that the image is AI-generated and fake. However, it’s worth noting that the tool does not tell if the image has been edited or manipulated.
Google has not announced when the ‘About this image’ feature will be available. But it is set to launch first in the United States in the coming months. The tool also works with Google’s reverse image search i.e. searching with an image or screenshot in Google Lens.
Additionally, Google has also introduced Mark-ups for AI-generated images. The search giant will ensure that it will mark its every AI-generated image in the original file to give users context if the image is accessed from third-party platforms. Creators and publishers can also label their images in Google Search, marking them as AI-generated.