Google Launches SynthID Detector With Major Limitations

Google has launched SynthID Detector, a web-based tool that identifies AI-generated images, video, and audio from Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Kakao. Users must sign in with a Google, OpenAI, or Apple account to access it. However, the tool only detects content carrying SynthID watermarks, meaning it misses AI content from Anthropic, xAI, and Chinese open-weights models. It also cannot distinguish between fully AI-generated content and AI-edited material. Google acknowledged the limitations and said it is working to extend partnerships and build industry-wide watermarking standards.