Google Search offers “About this image” information that checks for AI misusage

Announced at Google’s I/O conference in May, the “About this image” tool is rolling out to English users globally. The search giant seeks to provide important background information and context about images in Google Search.

“About this image” is trying its best to give you an idea of where on the web a given image appeared in the past and how it was described (via The Verge). The new feature can be accessed from the three-dot menu in Search and Google Images results. Google already offers an “About this result” feature to help users vet text-based sources.

When speaking about the origins of an image, you can expect to see its metadata – only when available – as well as vital context about the way it’s been described by news and fact-checking sites over time. “About this image” should potentially disclose if the picture you’re inspecting has been generated by AI, or not.

Can I check images on social media?

Currently, Google is still developing a way for users to check any given image on the web, not just the ones in the Google Search results. Google’s plans, as explained earlier this year, include an option to make the tool available via a right-click or long-press on an image in Chrome or by “swiping up in the Google App when you’re on a page and come across an image you want to learn more about”.

Google is saying work on its Fact Check Explorer hasn’t stopped. The tool that launched in beta this summer lets users search for image fact-checks by either uploading an image or searching using its URL. Though still in beta, Google says it’s releasing a new API to help fact-checkers and journalists integrate Fact Check Explorer into more workflows.