Most people have researched for a photo to use online for many types of output, only to have copyright watermarks all over it. This is a surefire method to ensure that intellectual property rights are upheld for rightful owners and creators. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) only gets smarter and smarter – and so do the ways that people use it.
Reddit users have recently discovered that Gemini 2.0 Flash, the latest iteration of Google’s in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, can be used to remove watermarks from images. The work is so clean that most people would never even notice the implementation of AI in the end product. Look below for some examples:
The image just shown displays the full removal of multiple logos, websites, and other items. This would have been a complex task with archaic image editing tools, but AI makes it possible in an unbelievable span of time.
In this next pair of photos, the Shutterstock icons and lettering is cleaned up. Some details on the feline are mildly edited, but the photo is still masterfully done and usable in almost any scenario – even with discerning eyes taking a peek.
Users on X are even trying it out for themselves.
While all of this is definitely a testament to the advancement in Gemini’s progress, it also poses an additional threat to creatives (on top of the impact that AI image generation has already made on the industry).
This piece of news spread like wildfire throughout the community. A media outlet was able to collect a statement from Google themselves:
“Using Google’s generative AI tools to engage in copyright infringement is a violation of our terms of service. As with all experimental releases, we’re monitoring closely and listening for developer feedback.”
Hearing this, we’re certain that Google will be setting usage restrictions on its tools to prevent misuse of generative AI.