Free ChatGPT Users May See Watermarks on AI Images as OpenAI Tests New Feature Update

OpenAI recently updated ChatGPT-4o to add advanced image generating capabilities. This utility was formerly exclusively available to paying customers, but it is now also available to free users. Since then, individuals have used it in a variety of creative ways, particularly to create anime-style visuals similar of Studio Ghibli.

However, OpenAI may soon begin applying watermarks on photographs created by free users.  AI researcher Tibor Blaho discovered a line of code in the ChatGPT Android beta version that stated "image-gen-watermark-for-free."

Watermarking AI-generated photographs has been a hot topic in the tech community. Experts and businesses want AI-generated content to be properly identified so that it is not mistaken for human-created work. Some AI platforms, such as Meta AI and Google's Gemini, currently include watermarks on all of their photographs.

Interestingly, OpenAI appears to be pursuing a different strategy, putting watermarks only to photographs made by free users rather than premium subscribers. Though OpenAI hasn't verified it, some believe this move is intended to attract more people to subscribe to the commercial version of ChatGPT.

OpenAI also changed its terms of service on April 4. According to the revised rules, if users publicly publish their made images or films (for example, on ChatGPT's explore page or Sora), the company can utilise those creations to promote its services. This means that OpenAI can use the photographs to market its platform by displaying, changing, or distributing them.

Overall, this shift is part of a larger effort to enhance transparency in AI-generated material, and it could influence how consumers use free versus commercial AI tools in the future.

This article is based on information from The Indian Express