OpenAI is adding text watermarking in ChatGPT and Codex
OpenAI is introducing 'textGrain,' an invisible watermarking system for ChatGPT and Codex, starting with users in the European Union. The tool aims to meet EU AI Act requirements, though OpenAI notes it does not guarantee reliable detection or verify content accuracy.
Why it matters
This marks a significant step in AI transparency and provenance, setting a precedent for how major AI labs comply with emerging international regulations regarding synthetic content.
An invisible, machine-readable watermark in text output is rolling out to ChatGPT and Codex, but only for users in the European Union at first.
OpenAI says its textGrain watermarking “matched or exceeded” other approaches like Google DeepMind’s SynthID for text, which is also the basis for the watermarking Anthropic announced in August. Like OpenAI, Anthropic made the move to meet the requirements of the EU’s AI Act; however, not everyone was happy to learn about the addition.
OpenAI also included scores from AI benchmarks showing similar performance from watermarked and unwatermarked text. But it notes that textGrain “does not guarantee reliable detection,” and says text watermarks don’t verify accuracy, determine who owns the text, measure how much a human contributed, or prove human authorship.
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