OpenAI Rolls Out textGrain Watermarking for ChatGPT and Codex in EU
OpenAI is adding invisible textGrain watermarks to ChatGPT and Codex outputs in the EU first, with global API opt-ins and researcher detector access, as it seeks to meet EU AI Act rules.
OpenAI said the rollout will reach eligible ChatGPT and Codex users across all plans in the EU over the coming weeks. It is not making text watermarking a global default at launch. The company described the regional approach as one that “gives us room to learn from real-world use and feedback.”
Starting on the day of the announcement, API customers around the world can opt in to watermarked text outputs for select models, OpenAI said. That option lets customers decide how watermarking fits their transparency obligations and the experiences they provide to users. OpenAI added that it is working with cloud partners to make watermarking available for OpenAI model outputs accessed through their services in the coming weeks.
OpenAI also said approved researchers and expert organizations can apply for detector access starting on the day of the announcement. Access will initially be granted on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Code of Practice, to support evaluation and improvement of text provenance. The tool will report whether it detects an OpenAI watermark without identifying the user or revealing prompts or conversations. Because of the risk of missed watermarks and false positives, OpenAI is not making the detector publicly available at launch.
OpenAI says textGrain “matched or exceeded” other approaches such as Google DeepMind’s SynthID for text, which is also the basis for the watermarking Anthropic announced in August. Anthropic, like OpenAI, acted to meet EU AI Act requirements, though the addition was not welcomed by everyone, according to The Verge.
OpenAI 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 do not verify accuracy, determine who owns the text, measure how much a human contributed, or prove human authorship.
Editor's Summary
OpenAI is rolling out textGrain watermarking in ChatGPT and Codex in the EU first, while offering global API customers an opt-in and giving approved researchers detector access. The move is tied to EU AI Act compliance and follows similar watermarking efforts by Anthropic, though OpenAI says the technology does not guarantee detection or prove authorship.