Google opens SynthID AI-watermark checker to the public

What happened: Google launched a public SynthID site where anyone can upload an image, video or audio file to check for its SynthID AI watermark. Since Google I/O 2025 the tool had been limited to journalists and researchers. SynthID marks output from Google's Nano Banana, Veo and Lyria models, and OpenAI, Nvidia and Kakao also support it. It only detects SynthID; Microsoft and Meta use their own standards, and open-source or stripped content won't show up.
The claim: Google says it handles about 1 million verification requests per day and that anyone can now verify whether media was made with AI tools that embed SynthID.
Austin's take: Austin welcomes it, especially with midterms close and AI fakes everywhere, and thinks it could become a standard. He expects checks like this to eventually be automated, with AI content tagged on social media, so you don't have to screen every video or call yourself.
Why it matters: It's a free, real way to check suspicious media, but only for content carrying Google's watermark.
What to do: Use the checker on suspicious images, video or audio, but remember a clean result does not prove a human made it.
Not confirmed yet: The verification volume is Google's figure. Coverage is limited to SynthID-marked content.

The Loop