[probably_wrong]

I'd like to frame this differently: watermarking is a (weaker) form of DRM, and DRM has never worked in favor of the users.

I know of at least one music GenAI service whose ToS forbid me from using their productions in ways that are incompatible with my local rights. If Google decides, as they did with YouTube, that they'll enforce this company's watermark even though I have a right to use their results then I've passively accepted that a (foreign) company decides which of my legal rights I can exercise.

For a more pessimistic outlook: for the GenAI companies that work for the military, are those pictures also watermarked? Because if watermarks only apply to one group then the "implicit trust" argument doesn't work.

I'm in favor of watermarking the same way I am in favor of paying artists for their work. But just as with youtube-dl and DVD decryption libraries, tools like these are necessary to level the playing field.

[digitaltrees]

I don’t think the military should be allowed to generate fake images. I do think there should be international standards on AI because the social harm is universal and dangerous. Just like we don’t allow chemical weapons etc.