If you have been plugged into the Internet recently, then you may very well have seen some generated-by-Sora videos. You can tell because these videos have watermarks in the form of multiples of a cutesy cloud logo teleporting position throughout the duration of the video. Is this watermark good for business, beyond just signifying that the content is A.I.-generated?
The Five Most-Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
- For the uninitiated, Sora is a video-generative A.I. platform in a slow yet steady rollout phase by OpenAI. Sora 2 is the latest iteration.
- A.I. watermarks serve multiple purposes beyond I.D.-ing content as A.I.-generated. It can market the tool that made the A.I. tool, can signify an intent to be transparent with A.I. use, and more.
- Given the burdenous amount of compute it takes to generate this stuff, it makes sense why OpenAI would want to eke out access to this rather than open it up for the whole public all at once. However, plenty of people not on the app nonetheless see the watermarked generations in the wild (on YouTube, Reddit, social-media platforms, and elsewhere).
- Another upside to this slow rollout is that it allows for hype to build and a certain degree of FOMO for people who are seeing the Sora creations but cannot yet generate Sora vids themselves.
- Business owners should recognize the business sense in prominent watermarks in A.I.. This blog will dig into that.
The Significance for Business Owners
Watermarks, it turns out, can be an excellent marketing tool.
A business owner using generative A.I. could find it worthwhile to create their own in-house watermark to add to gen-A.I. content generated by any number of tools, such as Veo or Hailuo.
Think of it as like a branding opportunity: a faint yet perceptible semitransparent logo or mascot for your business with the words “generated by A.I.” around it, perhaps specifying the A.I. tool used as well.
Sora’s watermarks demonstrate this. If you have a good eye for gen-A.I. content, then you may be able to spot it when you see it.
If you are especially immersed in gen A.I., then you may be able to discern without a watermark the source of an A.I. output. But many people do not have that knowledge, and so they may be ignorant of the source of the gen-A.I. tool that made the content.
Of course, the existence of watermark-removal tools means that you may see a watermarkless Sora video every now and then.
Regardless, it is safe to say that the majority of Sora users will not be removing watermarks.
That could be out of unwillingness to add an extra step to the content-output process or ambivalence about the watermark or ignorance of the existence of watermark-removing tools.
As such, viewers of most Sora-generated content will know that OpenAI made the content creation possible.
Perhaps that will spark interest in using the tool. Or, just appreciation for the existence of the tool and by extension the company providing it.
Either way, it stands as a marketing move that could greatly benefit OpenAI by watermarking itself into the public consciousness as a major provider of A.I. content-creation tools.
Are A.I. Watermarks Legally Required?
As of this writing, there are no U.S. federal laws mandating the use of A.I., so it really is up to an A.I. company whether to slap a watermark on the A.I. or not.
The idea of watermarks for ready identification of A.I. content has been floating around for years at this point. Not even as legal requirement, but as like a convention among companies.
Right now, some A.I. companies bother with watermarks, others do not.
Since there is no legal requirement to watermark the Sora generations, it is interesting that OpenAI would nonetheless put the Sora cloud on the generations.
Some may argue that OpenAI may be getting ahead of the curve here in case federal legislation does end up mandating A.I. watermarks, and that would be a fair-enough assessment. But supposing there would be no retroactive penalties for doing so, why not just go without the logo?
Well, the federal legislation referred to here is the U.S.A.’s. Around the world, however, our relatively lax approach to watermarking is not shared across the globe. If a company offering gen-A.I. tools is set on global domination, then watermarking can be a good way to play it safe by ensuring its business practices will meet the regulations set by countries requiring watermarks.
For business owners using generative A.I., this principle also stands. If you are looking to use gen-A.I. content to reach customers in countries where watermarking is legally required, then this can keep you
The Last (But Not Least) Key Takeaway from This Blog Post
Watermarks can be an excellent branding opportunity for business owners. These can also be a good precaution, as the watermarking laws across the world vary.
Other Great GO AI Blog Posts
GO AI the blog offers a combination of information about, analysis of, and editorializing on A.I. technologies of interest to business owners, with especial focus on the impact this tech will have on commerce as a whole.
On a usual week, there are multiple GO AI blog posts going out. Here are some notable recent articles:
- For Businesses and Other Organizations, What Makes a Successful Chatbot?
- IBM Watson vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini: How Will Each Affect Search Engines?
- Using A.I. to Find Resources for Business Owners
- How Would Restricting Open-Source A.I. Affect Business Owners?
- The EU’s A.I. Act Has Become Law: The Implications for Business Owners (Especially American)
In addition to our GO AI blog, we also have a blog that offers important updates in the world of search engine optimization (SEO), with blog posts like “Google Ends Its Plan to End Third-Party Cookies”.
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