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Wondering whether a photo was made by AI? The fastest reliable check is the file’s own metadata: C2PA Content Credentials, the IPTC DigitalSourceType field and generator text often state exactly which tool created the image.
Major platforms increasingly show labels such as “AI info” on images and videos. Most of them read the same industry signals embedded in the file — C2PA Content Credentials and IPTC metadata — and combine them with what creators disclose.
Almost every AI image generator leaves traces in its output — from signed Content Credentials to plain-text prompts. Knowing what each tool writes helps you protect your prompts and understand why a platform labels an image.
Some AI images carry two kinds of markers: metadata stored next to the image, and an invisible watermark woven into the pixels themselves. Google’s SynthID is the best-known example of the second kind.
Adobe apps can attach Content Credentials to exported images — a signed record of edits, including any generative AI features you used. That is useful for proving your work, but it can also trigger AI labels on photos that were only retouched.
Many people assume social media removes location data from photos. Often it does — for the published copy. But the original file can still travel with full EXIF through messaging apps, email, cloud links and file-sharing sites.