Gemini AI Excels At Removing Watermarks And Photographers Are Concerned
Last December, Google announced the release of the Gemini 2.0 Flash model, which it said could handle several tasks including creating and editing images. Further to the release, the tech company has recently made the AI tool accessible to more developers.
However, early experiments with the tool have raised concerns about the potential for abuse. For instance, many users have discovered that the AI tool can edit images, remove watermarks, and could also replace existing watermarks. This is obviously a great cause of worry for photographers who use these watermarks to promote their brand, protect their copyright, and prevent unauthorized use of their images.
These concerns appear to originate with a lack of adequate restrictions on the extent to which the AI model can be deployed. Flash 2.0 purportedly carries out requests to create images of copyrighted materials and even of celebrities, something it should ordinarily refuse with proper safeguards.
Although Google has revealed that Gemini 2.0 Flash is still in its experimental phase and not yet available to the public, users can access it through Google's AI Studio feature. Hence, with a simple registration on the platform, bad actors could interact with the tool and use it to carry out activities that, if not illegal, are at least highly unethical.
Of course, the issue is not with the tool, but its users. Any tool can be dangerous if misused. Still, Google is responsible for taking all reasonable measures to prevent misuse. The testing phase is a time to glean lessons and implement appropriate changes and Google has revealed its desire to learn. Failure to address this concern could lead to another round of litigation against the tech company over the capabilities of its AI services.
