Google allows removal of visible AI watermarks
Original: Google will now allow users to remove visible watermark from its AI generations
Why This Matters
Google's move highlights the ongoing industry tension between creative usability and AI content transparency standards.
Google announced on August 14, 2026 that users can now remove visible watermarks from AI-generated images, videos, and songs via Gemini and Flow. The invisible SynthID watermark and C2PA metadata remain intact. The toggle will be available in Settings > Media Watermark.
Google announced on Friday, August 14, 2026, that it will allow users to optionally remove visible watermarks from AI-generated content, including images, videos, and songs. The change applies to outputs from the Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models and will be accessible in Gemini and Google's video editor, Flow, with Search support coming soon. Users can find the setting under Settings > Media Watermark once the feature rolls out in the coming days. Josh Woodward, Google's VP for Gemini, clarified on X that the invisible SynthID watermark and C2PA standard-related metadata will not be affected, preserving the ability to verify whether content was AI-generated through Gemini or Search. 'We're striking a balance here between creative control and safety,' Woodward wrote. Alongside this update, Google is open-sourcing a new library called Credentio, enabling developers to embed local validation mechanisms in their apps. The announcement follows Anthropic's recent decision to add watermarks to text and files generated by Claude to comply with EU regulations.