Google has launched a new tool to help people identify fake AI-generated images online, following warnings that the technology could become a wellspring for misinformation.

The tool, named About This Image, will be integrated into Google search so users can see “additional context” about pictures served up by the search engine. Information includes when the image first appeared on Google and any related news stories.

Cory Dunton, Google’s product manager for search, said: “With this background information on an image, you can get a better understanding of whether an image is reliable – or if you need to take a second look.”

The feature, which is being launched later this month, will tell users where an image was first seen online and when it was first picked up by the Google search engine.

It will also say where potentially fake images first came from, Google said. The company, which has widely been seen as an AI laggard after Microsoft’s ChatGPT-based Bing Chat took the world by storm, has recently sounded a more cautious note on AI development.