AI Images Confusing You Too? Google Gemini Can Now Instantly Detect Whether a Photo Is Real or Fake

Have you ever scrolled through social media and wondered whether a picture is real or another trick of Artificial Intelligence? Be it a flawless selfie, a nearly perfect landscape, or an unreal-looking photo of a famous personality—spotting fake visuals has become incredibly difficult. With AI-generated content getting more advanced each day, Google has stepped in with a solution.

To help users identify fake visuals instantly, Google has introduced a major update to its Gemini app — a new feature that detects whether an image is AI-generated or real. Here’s everything you need to know.

How Gemini Detects Fake Images

Google made this announcement while launching its Gemini 3-powered Nano Banana Pro model. The newly added feature in the Gemini app is designed to scan and verify AI-generated visuals in seconds.

This capability is powered by SynthID, Google’s advanced digital watermarking technology. SynthID automatically embeds invisible watermarks into every AI-generated or AI-edited image produced through Google’s AI systems.

These watermarks cannot be seen with the naked eye, but Gemini can easily scan them and reveal whether the image is real or created using AI.

Detection Limitations — For Now

While this is a big step forward, the feature currently has one limitation:

➡️ It can only detect images generated or edited using Google AI tools.
➡️ Photos created by other AI platforms are not yet included.

However, this feature still has a massive impact globally. As per Google, more than 20 billion AI-generated images have already been marked with SynthID since 2023. And now, all such images can be quickly verified within the Gemini app.

How to Check If an Image Is AI-Generated

If you doubt the authenticity of any photo, you can follow these simple steps:

1. Upload the image to the Gemini app

2. Ask Gemini:

   • “Was this created by Google AI?”

   • OR “Is this AI-generated?”

3. Gemini will scan the image and search for a SynthID watermark

4. After analysis, it will show whether the picture is real or AI-made, along with a brief explanation

A Strong Step Against Fake Visuals

Google says this feature will help combat the increasing spread of misinformation, deepfakes, and manipulated content online. As AI tools amplify the creation of realistic fake media, technology like this becomes essential to protect digital trust and safety.