An image generation apparatus includes an acquisition unit and a generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires information to be embedded in each of a plurality of partitions on a recording medium. The generation unit generates an image in which first pattern images representing the information and a second pattern image controlling acquisition of the information from the first pattern images are placed in each of the plurality of partitions. The first and second pattern images are ones of mCn pattern images which are obtained by placing a unit image in n points selected from among m points where m and n are natural numbers, m≧4, and 2≦n