Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI Faces Controversy Over Watermark Removal Capabilities

Google’s new Gemini 2.0 AI Surrounded by controversy over the ability to remove watermark

A new controversy has recently surfaced regarding Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model. Users have claimed on social media that this AI model is capable of removing watermarks from images of stock media platforms such as Getty Images. This matter has come to light in a Tech Crunch report, which has been confirmed after investigation by several users.

Questions on the security of AI model

The Gemini 2.0 Flash model has been found to lack security measures. Not only is it capable of removing watermarks, but it can also generate images of famous celebrities and copyrighted animated characters. For example, the ability to generate images of characters like Elon Musk and Pikachu is also associated with it.

It is worth noting that Google has recently made the image creation feature of Gemini 2.0 widely available to users, which has further increased its discussion.

Watermark Removal Process: Impact of AI

The feature is currently in an ‘experimental’ stage and is available in developer tools like Google’s AI Studio. While AI seems to be efficient in removing watermarks, it struggles with certain types of watermarks, such as semi-transparent or watermarks covering large parts.

On the other hand, other AI models like Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 and OpenAI’s GPT-4o outright refuse to remove watermarks. These models consider it “unethical” and “illegal”.

AI and Copyright: Legal Overview

Talking about the legal aspects of watermark removal, the US copyright law considers it illegal to remove watermarks without consent. The European Union’s AI Act also requires AI systems to mark generated content as ‘machine-readable’ and ‘artificially generated’.

Global View: New Rules and Regulations

China has recently introduced a new rule, under which content created by AI should contain information that can be read by humans and machines. Along with this, it should be clearly mentioned on AI-generated files that they have been generated by AI, so that users are aware.

This makes it clear that with the development of AI technology, there is a need for changes in laws around the world. It has become necessary to have strict rules to protect the rights of copyright holders and their works.

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