AI-Generated Images Are Appearing In Google Search Results, Raising Authenticity Issues

Do you think images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools should appear in search results? If you type in Israel Kamakawiwo?ole into Google Search, the first image you'll see is the Hawaiian singer sitting with a ukulele and an infectious smile on the beach.

However, this image is fake and generated by AI. Clicking on the image takes users to the Midjourney subreddit where the images were initially shared. The Google Search result was first shared by Ethan Mollick on X, a professor at Wharton who is studying AI.

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How do we know it's a fake image?

When you zoom into the picture, you can see traces of AI left behind. Uneven depth of field, bad texture on his shirt, and a missing finger all point to the role of AI. Such inconsistencies make it easy for users to spot AI-generated images, even if they've become increasingly advanced over the last year.

It isn't just AI generated text that is starting to bleed over into search results.

The main image if you do a Google search for Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo?ole (whose version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow you have probably hear) is a Midjourney creation right from Reddit. pic.twitter.com/VdZmuUAwCK

¡ª Ethan Mollick (@emollick) November 27, 2023

AI-generated images aren't really the problem in this case. It's the fact that these images are showing up in Google Search as the first result for a famous figure without any indications that it was generated by AI.

Also read: Use Google Search To Generate Artificial Intelligence Images: Here's How

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Google doesn't say that its image search results are the most authentic. Even then, including AI-generated image results in Google Search without declaration seems like a recipe for disaster.

Why did Google include this result?

It's possible that the image showed up in this particular case because the Hawaiian singer passed away in 1997, and Google wants to constantly feed latest information to users. Since there's not much discussion about Iz (as he was commonly known) right now, it's possible that's why the algorithm picked up the AI-generated image.

Also read: AI Experts Issue Dire Warning, Say Artificial Intelligence Poses 'Risk Of Extinction'

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Or Google doesn't mind this at all. The company has been pushing its AI products across various services so it shouldn't be surprising if AI-generated content is visible on Google. If nothing else, Google needs to mark AI-generated images in one way or another to avoid confusion. Google can also try adding a way to filter out AI images automatically.

What do you think about the inclusion of AI-generated images in Google Search results? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com and click here for our how-to guides.