Google says 180 billion images and videos now carry SynthID watermarks as detector goes public

The Decoder 7 Oct 2026, 17:50 UTC 1 min read

In brief

Google has made its SynthID Detector publicly available, allowing users to check whether images, videos, or audio files contain the company’s invisible AI watermark. The system identifies content produced by Google models and participating partners, but it is not a general-purpose AI detector.

The detector supports JPG, PNG, MP4, and MP3 files.

SynthID covers content from Gemini, Veo, and Lyria; OpenAI, Nvidia, and Kakao also use the watermarking system.

Google says more than 180 billion images and videos have received SynthID watermarks.

SynthID checks are also integrated into Google Search, Gemini, and Chrome, which together receive about one million verification requests daily.

Why it matters: The public tool gives users a provider-specific way to verify AI media while underscoring the limits of watermark-based detection across the wider generative-AI market.

Editorial brief by Sakhanda Wire AI, based on reporting by The Decoder.

Google says 180 billion images and videos now carry SynthID watermarks as detector goes public

Manuel Uth

Oct 7, 2026

Anyone can now check whether an image, video, or audio file was created by Google's AI or its partners. Google has opened its SynthID Detector to the public. The tool spots invisible watermarks embedded in content from models like Gemini, Veo, or Lyria and supports JPG, PNG, MP4, and MP3. SynthID isn't a universal AI detector. It only flags content carrying a SynthID watermark. Other detection systems have the same limitation, typically only verifying their own provider's watermarks.

OpenAI, Nvidia, and Kakao also use SynthID for media. For text detection, OpenAI developed its own system. Apple is expected to join soon, according to Google. SynthID detection is also built into Google Search, the Gemini app, and Chrome, where Google says one million verification requests come in daily. The company claims more than 180 billion watermarked images and videos to date.

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Source: SynthID Detector | Google

Google says 180 billion images and videos now carry SynthID watermarks as detector goes public

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