Read the source type an image declares.
Check for the IPTC Digital Source Type field in XMP metadata. It may say the media was captured, edited, composited, or made with generative AI.
The check happens in your browser. A declaration is useful evidence, but it is not a guarantee that the file’s full history is true or complete.
Choose an image or XMP sidecar
We read the DigitalSourceType field on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Your result will explain the exact declaration found.
What Digital Source Type tells you
DigitalSourceType is an IPTC photo metadata field stored in XMP. Its value comes from a controlled vocabulary, so a newsroom, creator, camera, or editing tool can describe how a digital image began or changed. The field can distinguish a real-life camera capture from a digital creation, a composite, or media created using generative AI.
The two clearest generative-AI values are trainedAlgorithmicMedia, meaning the file declares it was created using generative AI, and compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia, meaning generative AI was used to edit it. compositeSynthetic declares that at least one part of a composite is generative AI.
trainedAlgorithmicMediaCreated using generative AIcompositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMediaEdited using generative AIcompositeSyntheticComposite containing at least one generative-AI elementdigitalCaptureCaptured from real life with a digital devicehumanEditsEdited by a person with non-generative toolsdigitalCreationCreated by a person with non-generative digital toolsHow to read a found value
Report the value as a declaration carried by this file. For example: “The image’s XMP metadata declarestrainedAlgorithmicMedia, which IPTC defines as created using generative AI.” That wording stays close to the evidence. Ordinary XMP metadata can be edited, copied, or removed, so the field alone does not authenticate the person or software that wrote it.
Some values are deliberately broader. composite says the file combines elements, but those elements may or may not involve generative AI. virtualRecording can involve generated, captured, or mixed material. The detector preserves that uncertainty instead of turning every unfamiliar value into an AI verdict.
What “not found” means
It means this copy has no readable Digital Source Type value. It does not mean the image is human-made. Many apps and social platforms strip XMP metadata; screenshots usually lose the source file’s fields; and many creation tools never write this field. Ask for the original image or its .xmp sidecar when the answer matters.
For other ordinary fields such as software, camera model, and dates, use the EXIF metadata viewer. For a cryptographically signed provenance record, use the Content Credentials checker. These checks answer different questions and work best together.
About the IPTC vocabulary
IPTC maintains the official list and updates it as media workflows change. This checker recognizes current values as well as several retired values that may remain in older files. If a file contains an unfamiliar value, the tool shows the original text rather than guessing what it means.
Reference: IPTC Digital Source Type vocabulary.
Digital Source Type questions
Does trainedAlgorithmicMedia mean generative AI?
Yes. IPTC defines that value as digital media created algorithmically using an AI model trained on captured content. It is still a metadata declaration, not an independently verified receipt.
Can the field say an image was only edited with AI?
Yes. compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia means generative AI was used for an edit such as inpainting or outpainting, rather than declaring the whole image generated from scratch.
Does no field mean no AI was used?
No. The creating tool may not have written the field, or it may have been removed during export, compression, reposting, or screen capture.
Can I check an XMP sidecar?
Yes. Choose the .xmp file directly. This is useful when an editor stores metadata beside the image instead of embedding it.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The selected file is read locally in your browser and is not sent to this site.