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Industry observers note that on a week when AI watermarking is a hot topic, Google has just unveiled that Gemini will let you drop the visible watermarks from created images and videos.
As part of the ongoing story, of course, “visible” is the key word here, with Google exec Josh Woodward explaining in a social post that invisible SynthID watermarks and metadata will remain embedded in created Gemini images.
According to the latest update, “We’re striking a balance here between creative control and safety,” Woodard wrote on X, adding that the option to drop the visible watermark is available for the Nano Banana image model, the Omni model for videos, and Lyria for generated music.
According to the latest update, i tried it myself (above), and as promised, the resulting Gemini image landed without a Gemini logo watermark. You can find the option in your Gemini settings; just click Media watermark, then select either On or Off.
The report highlights that a fresh Gemini toggle now lets you determine whether this watermark appears on Gemini-created images.
According to the latest update, the ability to remove visible watermarks from Gemini-created images popped up in a top-10 list of requested Gemini functions last month. Previously, all Gemini-generated images and videos came with a telltale Gemini icon in the bottom-right corner, which served as a visual cue that the content was generated by AI.
In a fresh development, the fresh Gemini watermark toggle won’t appear in countries where visible AI watermarks are required, Woodard wrote.
Industry observers note that the Claude desktop app doesn’t offer a native image generator. It’s worth noting that ChatGPT’s image creator doesn’t stamp visual watermarks on generated images or videos at all, although it does embed such content with invisible watermarks.
According to the latest update, the timing of Google’s disclosure about its visual watermark toggle is a little awkward, given the hubbub this week over Anthropic’s news that Claude models will soon embed all generated text with invisible watermarks.
Industry observers note that the fresh EU rules mandate that AI providers roll out methods for marking AI-generated content. Anthropic’s move comes in response to the EU AI Act, which went into effect earlier this month.
In a fresh development, there’s a growing consensus that AI-created or edited images, videos, and text should bear at least some type of detectable watermark, allowing those who view or read them to know the “provenance” of the content.
As part of the ongoing story, his coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the most recent LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature. Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience.