If a video has no AI labels, is it real?

Not necessarily. Downloading from social media, screen recording and editing usually write a new file without the old labels.

Can you detect deepfakes this way?

Only if the file still carries labels from the tool that made it. Face swaps made with tools that add no labels can't be identified from metadata.

How to check if a video was made with AI

By the Remove AI Watermarking team · Updated October 15, 2026

Short answer: Check three things: a visible watermark in the frame, the labels stored in the file (C2PA Content Credentials and software tags), and an invisible watermark such as Google SynthID. OpenAI says Sora videos carry C2PA data, and Google marks Veo videos with SynthID, but re-uploads and screen recordings often remove the file labels.

Key facts

OpenAI says every Sora video includes C2PA metadata, and most Sora downloads also show a moving visible watermark.
Google adds SynthID to all Veo videos and a visible watermark to most of them.
Since December 2025 the Gemini app can check whether a video was made or edited with Google AI, for files up to 100 MB and 90 seconds.
MP4 and MOV files store tags such as the encoder and software name, which some tools fill in.
Social apps usually re-encode uploads, which drops the original file's metadata.

1. Look for a visible watermark

Sora places a moving logo on most downloads, and most Veo videos carry a small mark in a corner. Watch the whole clip, because a mark can move or appear only in some scenes. Cropping can remove it, so its absence means little.

2. Read the labels in the file

Drop the MP4 or MOV into our AI Detector. It reads Content Credentials stored in the video, Apple and QuickTime tags, and the encoder and software names, then shows which tool the file names, such as Sora, Veo, Runway, Kling, Pika or Adobe Firefly. The video stays on your device and isn't loaded fully into memory, so long clips are fine.

3. Check for an invisible watermark

SynthID lives in the frames, not the metadata, so a file reader can't see it. For Google's tools, upload the video to the Gemini app and ask whether it was made with Google AI. Other companies' invisible marks need their own checkers.

4. Check the source

Find the earliest upload, look at who posted it and whether other footage of the same event exists. AI video is getting harder to spot by eye, so the source and the labels usually tell you more than looking for glitches.

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Check a video for AI labels