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In the age of advanced artificial intelligence, distinguishing AI-generated content from human-created works is becoming increasingly challenging. This blurring of lines can lead to significant issues such as the spread of disinformation. One promising solution to this problem is algorithmic watermarking, a technique designed to embed identifying marks within digital content to verify its origin and authenticity.

What is AIGC

AI technologies have made remarkable strides in generating content. From realistic images created by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to sophisticated text produced by Natural Language Processing (NLP) models, AIGC is everywhere. However, this technological marvel has a darker side. AI can also be used to create deepfakes and misleading information, posing a threat to societal trust and information integrity. Mo Gawdat says that by 2029, we wont be able to differentiate between an AIGC and original content.

Examples:

• Images: GANs can create hyper-realistic images that are indistinguishable from real photographs. These images can be used for benign purposes like art or commercial design but can also be weaponized to create fake news or misleading visuals.
• Texts: NLP models can generate coherent and contextually relevant text that can be used in chatbots, content creation, and even academic writing. However, they can also generate fake news articles, misleading social media posts, or phishing emails.
• Audios: AI can generate realistic voice recordings that can mimic a person’s speech patterns and intonation. These synthetic audios can be used for creating personalized voice assistants but can also produce deepfake audio clips for fraudulent purposes.
• Videos: AI-generated videos, often created using deep learning techniques, can produce hyper-realistic videos where people appear to say or do things they never actually did. These videos, known as deepfakes, can be used for entertainment, such as in movies or games, but can also be misused to create fake news or maliciously edited videos.

The Role of Watermarking

Watermarking has long been used to protect intellectual property, but its application to AI-generated content is a relatively new frontier. The primary goal is to make these watermarks imperceptible to human senses while ensuring they remain detectable and resilient against tampering. The various types of watermarking are as follows:

• Visible Watermarks: These are clearly noticeable marks, like logos or text, overlaid on the content. While they are straightforward to apply and detect, they can degrade the visual or auditory experience.
• Invisible Watermarks: These are hidden within the content in a way that is imperceptible to the human eye or ear but can be detected by specialized software.
• Robust Watermarks: Designed to withstand common modifications like compression, cropping, or resizing, making them difficult to remove without significantly degrading the content.

Fragile Watermarks: Easily altered or destroyed by common modifications, often used to detect tampering.

Watermarking Techniques for AIGC

Images