Google Search rolls out ‘About this image’ to help see if something was created by AI

Abner Li | Oct 25 2023 - 9:00 am PT

Announced at I/O in May, Google is now rolling out an “About this image” tool that you’ll find in the three-dot overflow menu of Search photo results.

“About this image” starts by telling you how old a picture or similar photos are as determined by when Google Search first saw it. This might be helpful in determining “if an image is being taken out of context and shared in relation to a current event, but it’s actually much older.”

Google will then link to “Web results” to see how an image was described by others, including news publications and fact-checking sites.

This information can be helpful to assess the claims being made about an image, and to see evidence and perspectives from other sources.

Lastly, “About this image” will surface any available metadata added by the creators of a photo. This can include if it was generated or enhanced by AI, with pictures created by Google AI featuring this.

Google plans to surface “About this image” – which joins results and authors – in the coming months. It is rolling out globally starting today to all English language users.

Meanwhile, Google is experimenting with having AI create “About this result” descriptions for sites that don’t have an entry from Wikipedia or the Google Knowledge Graph. It will appear under the “More about this page” section. Google says it is “starting small.”

For people who are opted-into Search Generative Experience (SGE) through Search Labs, you’ll now be able to see AI-generated descriptions of some sources, supported by information on high-quality sites that talk about that website. We’ll showcase links to these sites in the AI-generated description of the source.