In a few short years, the line between real and synthetic has blurred. But Google's SynthID is aiming to make the distinction clearer.

First shown three years ago, this AI watermarking technology has already labeled over 100 billion images and videos, plus 60,000 years' worth of audio. Now, SynthID is expanding beyond Google, with OpenAI, Nvidia, and others getting on board.

While Google also supports the C2PA standard for metadata tagging, SynthID integrates directly into AI-generated content. It's embedded in pixels, videos, and even AI-created songs, making it harder to remove or manipulate – a relief if you ask Kohli at DeepMind, who says: 'A technology like this will always be attacked.'

And for those concerned about the ethical implications of AI, SynthID is coming to the Pixel 8, 9 and 10 phones in an upcoming update. But can we really trust what our eyes see anymore?