Our photo of canola fields, or Gemini's? Only the label told them apart

Two pictures of canola fields: one we took ourselves, one Google Gemini generated. We checked both, and a screenshot of the Gemini image.

• Our photo: taken on a phone.
• Generated by Google Gemini: downloaded as the original file.

What changed

• The label. The Gemini file carries Content Credentials signed by Google, declaring it AI-generated. The report verified the signature.
• The estimate. It couldn't tell them apart: 15% for our photo, and 21% for a screenshot of the Gemini image, both "likely authentic". The screenshot had lost the label.
• The watermark. None found in any of the three. Google says Gemini images also carry a SynthID watermark that only its own tools can read.

What the report said: Authenticity F for the Gemini original, certified AI-generated. Our photo: 15%, "likely authentic".

"Likely authentic" on its own is not an all-clear.

Go deeper

• How to check one yourself: Is this photo real, fake or AI-generated?
• Why the label matters: What C2PA Content Credentials prove, by Kenneth Springer
• Try it on your own photo