Unsurprisingly, Google spent a great deal of time focusing on all of the new AI features you’ll find on its Pixel 10 smartphones earlier this week. From Gemini Live to AI photo editing, Google says the Pixel 10 lineup is an AI-powered workhorse. At the same time, people are having an increasingly difficult time determining if content is created by humans or AI. That’s why Google plans to tell on you whenever you use AI to edit a photo on the Pixel 10.
In fact, based on what Google has said, every phot that you take with the Pixel 10 will include a digital watermark that follows the newest industry-standard provided by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). This standard comes in the form of the aforementioned watermark, which currently appears as a “cr” logo in the corner of a photo. When interacted with, this watermark will provide more details about the photo, including when the credentials were issued, as well as who produced the image, what app or device was used, and if any AI tools were used.
Easy credentials to check
Google initially joined up with the C2PA back in 2024, as a way to show users when a photo had been edited or generated with AI. The company has since been working to help develop the latest version of Content Credentials and is even building it directly into Google Search. This means that any photo with C2PA metadata will be instantly identifiable thanks to the little “cr” watermark.
Google already supports this new standard in Google Lens, Images, Circle to Search, and it will be viewable in the Google Photos app within the next few weeks. With the Pixel 10 adopting C2PA as a core component of the phone’s photo experience, we wouldn’t be surprised to see other smartphone manufacturers following suit in the near future.
This is a much needed step in helping moderate AI-generated content, especially since it is getting harder to tell if something was made with AI. It’s also nice that you’ll also be able to see the credentials even if the image wasn’t generated with AI, as it will help alleviate concerns, especially if people can see the photo came from a device or app that supports the standard. Considering Trump’s AI plan for America is all about limiting moderation, it’s encouraging to see Google and others stepping up to fill in the gaps.
