There is a tremendous amount of information available online. Unfortunately, it is not always reliable or accurate. That’s why Google is introducing new functions for verifying images and sources.

Anyone who follows current events primarily online knows that you often have to be particularly careful about what you read and see. Disinformation appears more frequently, particularly in stormy times. Google is now introducing some new features to combat this.

About this picture

The first novelty in this ongoing battle is About this picture. This was previously announced, but is now rolling out globally to English-speaking Google Search users.

About this picture has three main properties to check the reliability and context of an image:

• You can see it when Google Search first discovered an image (or something similar) or when a website published it much earlier.
• Google shows what other websites say about the image and what description they use.
• If metadata has been added to an image, you can now see it.

Fact Check Explorer

Number two is more for journalists and fact checkers. Fact Check Explorer Uses claim verification markers to learn more about an image. This allows users to learn facts researched by independent organizations.

Google also introduced the FactCheck Claim Search API. This allows journalists and researchers to integrate the function into their own solutions.

Generative search experience

Finally there is Generative search experience to better check sources. With generative AI (which had to be included), it is now easier to monitor smaller locations.

Users who use Search laboratories are registered on Generative search experience can see AI-generated descriptions from a range of sources. This is supported by the mention of the website you are visiting on more popular websites.

Generative AI is now easily integrated into the Google search bar. I wonder if the CEO of Microsoft will proclaim even louder that Google Search is better than Bing if given another chance.