Google has announced that users will now be able to remove visible watermarks from AI-generated content, such as images, videos, and songs. The company clarified that this change will not impact the invisible SynthID watermark or C2PA standard-related metadata. According to Josh Woodward, Google’s VP for Gemini, the toggle to disable visible watermarks will be available for Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models. This setting will be accessible in Gemini and Google’s video editor, Flow, with support for Search coming soon.
The decision reflects an ongoing effort to balance the labeling of AI-generated media, as visible watermarks can reduce the utility of content for professional and creative work, while the need to identify AI-generated content remains. 'We’re striking a balance here between creative control and safety: while the visible watermarks are now optional, invisible SynthID watermarks and C2PA metadata are still being used for transparency,' he wrote. The feature is rolling out in the coming days, and users will be able to access it through Settings > Media Watermark to turn the visible mark on or off. Google is also open-sourcing a new library called Credentio to enable developers to embed a local validation mechanism in their apps.
This follows Anthropic’s recent decision to include a watermark in text and files generated by Claude to comply with EU regulations. Source: techcrunch
