Google Adds Option to Remove Visible AI Watermarks
AI-generated image · US National Wire
A new setting in Gemini and Flow allows users to toggle off the 'sparkle' watermark on AI-generated media.
Google is introducing a feature that allows users to remove visible watermarks from AI-generated music, videos, and images. According to reporting from The Verge, users can now access a "Media watermark" toggle within the settings of Google's AI video generator, Flow, and Gemini.
When this setting is disabled, the "sparkle" watermark typically found in the bottom-right corner of content created by the company's Omni and Nano Banana models will be removed. Josh Woodward, the vice president of Google Labs, Gemini, and AI Studio, stated that while visible markers are now optional, Google will continue to embed C2PA metadata and invisible SynthID watermarks into the background of the media. This allows users to verify if content is AI-generated by using Search or Gemini.
Google intends to expand this watermark setting to Search, though the company noted the toggle will not be available in countries where visible watermarks are legally required. The Verge reports that this move follows a trend among other AI developers; Meta has implemented its own Content Seal standard, and OpenAI utilizes C2PA and SynthID. Additionally, Anthropic recently announced it is using invisible watermarks for both AI-generated images and text.