If you've used Google Gemini to generate images, you've noticed the small star icon in the corner. It's not a bug — it's intentional. Here's why it's there.
Disclosure of AI-generated content
The visible watermark signals that an image was created by an AI system, not a human photographer or illustrator. As AI-generated images become indistinguishable from real photos, disclosure mechanisms like this help maintain transparency.
Regulatory pressure
Governments and platforms are increasingly requiring that AI-generated content be labeled. The EU AI Act, for example, includes provisions for transparency in synthetic media. Watermarking is one way companies like Google stay ahead of these requirements.
SynthID: the deeper layer
Beyond the visible icon, Google's SynthID technology embeds an invisible watermark directly into the pixel data. This persists even if the visual mark is removed and allows Google's systems to identify AI-generated images at scale.
What this means for you
The visible watermark can be removed for legitimate personal and design uses with tools like Lumina. The SynthID signal remains regardless. Understanding both helps you make informed decisions about how you use generated images.