Google’s new Gemini 2.0 Flash model has sparked controversy among users after discovering its ability to remove watermarks from images, including those published by Getty Images. The model, available in Google’s AI studio, can also fill in gaps created by watermark removal and generate edited images with simple text prompts.
While the feature is labeled as “experimental” and “not for production use,” it has raised concerns among copyright holders due to its lack of usage restrictions. Some models, including Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, refuse to remove watermarks without permission. Removing copyrighted material without consent is illegal under US copyright law.
Google has declined to comment on the matter, but a spokesperson stated that using the model for copyright infringement violates their terms of service. The company will continue to monitor user feedback and provide updates as necessary.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/17/people-are-using-googles-new-ai-model-to-remove-watermarks-from-images