Google Launches SynthID Detector for AI Media Watermarks

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SynthID Detector

Identify AI generated media

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Detects media generated by:

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SynthID embeds digital watermarks directly into AI-generated images, audio or video. The watermarks are added across generative AI consumer products from the above companies.

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Watermarks are imperceptible to humans, but can be detected by SynthID's technology. It is robust against common transformations. When uploading files for detection, please upload the highest quality file possible to ensure maximum detection accuracy.

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This is not a general AI detector. We can only detect media from the above companies, who have adopted SynthID technology. We are continuously working on extending our partnerships to allow detecting more generated media.

FAQ

What is SynthID?

SynthID is a digital watermarking approach created by Google DeepMind. It embeds imperceptible digital watermarks directly into AI-generated content — including images, video, audio, and text — so that the content can later be identified as AI-generated.

Unlike visible logos or file metadata (which can be lost), SynthID's watermark is woven into the content itself: into the pixels for images and video and the frequency components of audio. This means the watermark travels with the content wherever it goes. It is built to be robust to the things that happen to files from sharing and resharing across the Internet. However, no signal is completely robust and we recommend collecting multiple points of data before making a decision.

Why was SynthID created?

Generative AI technologies are rapidly evolving, and AI-generated content is becoming harder to distinguish from content not created with AI. While generative AI can unlock huge creative potential and improve & upscale existing content, it also presents new risks, like potentially spreading deceptive content — intentionally or unintentionally.

Being able to identify when content is AI-generated empowers people interacting with such content to make more informed decisions by providing transparency into the tools that were used to edit or create the content.

How does watermarking work?

SynthID is an approach for watermarking and identifying AI-generated content generated by models across Google, Nvidia, OpenAI, and Kakao. It embeds digital watermarks directly into AI-generated images, audio, or video. For each modality, SynthID's watermarking technique is imperceptible to humans but detectable for identification.

SynthID is an important building block for developing more reliable AI identification tools and can help people make informed decisions about how they interact with AI-generated content.

Which AI models and products use SynthID today?

This technology was pioneered by Google DeepMind and has been adopted by Nvidia, OpenAI, and Kakao. SynthID is integrated across a growing ecosystem of models and this list continues to grow as more AI organizations adopt SynthID watermarking.

What types of content can the SynthID Detector analyze?

The SynthID Detector currently supports three content types:

• Images — Detects the presence of a watermark in the image
• Video — Detects segments of the video with the watermark
• Audio — Detects segments of the audio with the watermark

How do I interpret detection results?

The SynthID Detector checks uploaded media for a SynthID watermark:

• Watermark detected: A SynthID watermark is present in the content, and it was likely edited or generated by a SynthID-enabled AI model.
• Watermark not detected: No confident signal was found, so it was not likely to have been edited or generated by a SynthID-enabled AI model. Although this does not totally rule out AI generation or manipulation.

AI-generated content may result in a not detected result if:

• It was created by a model without SynthID (non-partner or pre-adoption).
• Heavy modifications degraded the watermark signal.

Use high-quality media files for best results, as heavy compression and editing impact detection. While SynthID is robust against typical modifications, edge cases exist, so gathering additional evidence is recommended. In very rare cases SynthID can also falsely trigger on non-watermarked content.

What is the difference between SynthID and "AI detection" tools?

SynthID watermarking and general AI detection tools address distinct use cases using fundamentally different mechanisms:

• SynthID Watermarking: Verifies media by detecting an intentional signal embedded directly during content creation. It provides high reliability and resilience, though it is limited to identifying content generated by SynthID-integrated models.
• General AI Detectors: Analyzes passive artifacts and patterns left behind by generative models to estimate the likelihood of AI generation when no embedded signal is present. While broader in scope, these tools can sometimes be less reliable than watermarking.

How robust is image, audio, and video watermarking?

We designed SynthID so it doesn't compromise image quality, and allows the watermark to remain detectable, even after modifications like adding filters, changing colours, and saving with various lossy compression schemes.

However, the watermark is not infallible and if someone tries many transformations, they may be able to find one that doesn't get detected. SynthID is one important layer in a broader approach to content provenance — not a standalone guarantee.

Why isn't there one universal watermarking standard for all AI companies?

Building industry-wide standards takes time, and different content types (image, audio, video) have different technical requirements.

The goal is a layered ecosystem where watermarking, metadata standards, and verification tools work together across the industry.

Welcome to the SynthID Detector

Terms of Service

This service is hosted by Google and is governed by the Google Terms of Service, which establish the baseline rules for accessing and using the Universal SynthID Detector portal.

Additional Terms of Service

By using the SynthID Detector, you agree to the following additional restrictions designed to protect the integrity of the watermarking system. You will not:

• Reverse Engineer or Attack: Use the service, its outputs, or its feedback mechanisms to run black-box adversarial attacks or optimize digital transformations designed to break, bypass, or degrade the SynthID watermark detection logic.
• Automate or Scrape: Bypass the user interface to programmatically submit requests, scrape data, or use the frontend as an automated API to run bulk media verification queries.
• Evade Quotas: Create multiple accounts, leverage automated tools, or manipulate system identifiers to circumvent the service's rate-limiting restrictions.

Google reserves the right to immediately suspend your access for violations of these Terms.

Privacy Notice

This notice and the Google Privacy Policy describe how Google handles your data in connection with this service.

• Third-Party Sign-In Profiles: If you authenticate using a third-party account (such as Apple), Google processes and retains basic account identifiers shared by your provider (including email address, user ID, and sign-in provider details) to manage your authentication session, prevent abuse, and prevent duplicate accounts.
• Media Processing & Immediate Deletion: Media files you upload for verification are processed in real-time. Once the detection results are returned to you, the original media files are immediately deleted.
• Anti-Abuse Data Retention: To enforce daily usage quotas and defend the service against automated attacks, we securely store a digital signature of your media. This signature is mapped to your user identifier and permanently deleted after 24 hours. Learn more in the Google Privacy Policy.

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