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AI: White House says tech giants agrees to watermark content

July 21, 2023

A number of companies working with artificial intelligence technology have agreed to a voluntary measure to mark AI content. The system would include images as well as text, video and audio.

https://p.dw.com/p/4UDYx
Logos of various AI chat apps
The agreement to watermark AI content will be implemented by the companies themselves on a voluntary basisImage: Friedrich Stark/epd-bild/picture alliance

A number of major tech companies have agreed to voluntarily introduce measures to distinguish AI-produced content, such as with watermarks, as a means of tackling fake images, the White House announced on Friday.

The companies included OpenAI — which is behind ChatGPT —, the Google parent company Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Anthropic and Inflection.

"These commitments, which the companies have chosen to undertake immediately, underscore three principles that must be fundamental to the future of AI — safety, security, and trust — and mark a critical step toward developing responsible AI," the White House said in a statement.

How will the companies mark AI content?

The companies agreed, voluntarily, to develop a system of watermarks that would be used to highlight content produced by AI, including text, images, audio and videos, so users know when the technology has been used.

"They're committing to setting up a broader regime towards making it easier for consumers to know whether the content is AI-generated or not," the White House official said. "There is technical work to be done, but the point here is that it applies to audio and visual content, and it will be part of a broader system."

The non-profit organization Common Sense Media welcomed the agreement to regulate AI technology, but added that "history would indicate that many tech companies do not actually walk the walk on a voluntary pledge to act responsibly and support strong regulations."

New regulations for AI systems

Concerns over misinformation

The agreement will be seen as a win for the Biden administration, which has sought to regulate the fast-growing technology.

It also comes as the United States gears up for the 2024 presidential election amid fears that AI-generated images could be used to spread false information.

President Joe Biden, who is set to meet with representatives from the tech companies later on Friday, is also pushing for bipartisan legislation on AI technology.

The US Congress is currently debating whether to force political ads to disclose when AI was used in their production.

ab/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP)