AI Watermark Center
Tools & limits

AI Watermark Detector & Checker

There is no universal AI watermark detector. Use this page to route text (hidden Unicode) and image (C2PA/metadata) checks — SynthID stays provider-side.

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There is no universal AI watermark detector or checker that can reliably label every text, image, video, or audio file as “AI” or “not AI.” Different providers use different mechanisms — hidden Unicode artefacts, statistical text watermarks, C2PA Content Credentials, invisible SynthID-style signals, and visible marks — and many signals are only verifiable through the provider that issued them. If you are searching for an AI watermark scanner or how to check an AI watermark, start by matching the media type to what can actually be inspected.

Check textInspect image

Text

Local checks can look for hidden Unicode, zero-width characters, directional controls, and related character-level artefacts. Statistical provider watermarks (for example Anthropic’s documented text marking or Gemini text SynthID) require provider-side or specialised detectors this site does not run. A clean Unicode scan is not a human-authored verdict.

Images

Local checks can read EXIF/metadata and embedded C2PA Content Credentials in JPEG, PNG, and WebP — a Content Credentials / C2PA checker for embedded manifests. SynthID and other pixel-domain watermarks need provider verifiers (for example OpenAI Verify or Gemini Apps verification) where documented. Missing C2PA does not prove an image is not AI-generated.

Video

Video may carry visible marks, C2PA in containers, or provider-only signals. AWC has no video inspector. Historical Sora documentation is covered under the Sora watermark cluster — not as a live checker.

Audio

Some providers document audio watermarks (for example SynthID on supported OpenAI audio). Detection belongs to those providers’ tools. AWC has no audio inspector.

What AWC explicitly does not do

  • No SynthID detection.
  • No universal AI/human classifier.
  • No confidence scores or probability dials.
  • No duplicate checker routes — the image metadata & C2PA inspector owns C2PA checker intent.

Limitations

Legal machine-readable marking under the EU AI Act is a regulatory concept, not a single consumer upload widget. Provider research pages explain what each vendor documents; the AI watermark database records claim status separately from AWC support.

Sources

  1. C2PA Specifications — Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity

    Accessed August 15, 2026.

    Open standard referenced for signed provenance metadata on supported generated files.

  2. SynthID — Google DeepMind

    Accessed August 16, 2026.

    SynthID modalities (image, video, audio, text). Gemini Apps can check Google AI media. A separate SynthID Detector portal remains an early-tester waitlist, not a general-availability consumer product, as of this access date.

  3. Transparency obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act — European Commission (Shaping Europe’s digital future)

    Accessed August 29, 2026.

    Commission FAQ clarifying provider/deployer duties, machine-readable marking, and relationship to the Code of Practice. Article 50 obligations apply from 2 August 2026.

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