Meta's deepfake-fighting AI video watermarking tool is here, and for some reason it's decided to call it the Video Seal

SoftwareAIMeta’s deepfake-fighting AI video watermarking tool is here, and for some reason it’s decided to call it the Video SealWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Seal

Look, forgive me, all right? It’s Friday afternoon as I write this, and I know I’ve picked a silly image to go with an article on what is quite an important topic. But Meta has called its new AI-generated video watermarking tool theVideo Seal, and sometimes the header image picks itself.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. Or beach balls, one of the two. (Stop it now - Ed). Deepfakes are a serious concern, witha recent Ofcom surveyreporting that two in five participants said they’d seen at least one AI-generated deepfake in the last six months.

Deepfake content has the potential to harm and spread disinformation, so Meta releasing a tool to watermark AI-generated videos is probably a net benefit for the world (via TechCrunch). Meta Video Seal is open source, and designed to be integrated into existing software to apply imperceptible watermarks to AI-generated video clips.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Pierre Fernandez, an AI research scientist at Meta, said: “We developed Video Seal to provide a more effective video watermarking solution, particularly for detecting AI-generated videos and protecting originality.

“While other watermarking tools exist, they don’t offer sufficient robustness to video compression, which is very prevalent when sharing content through social platforms; weren’t efficient enough to run at scale; weren’t open or reproducible; or were derived from image watermarking, which is suboptimal for videos.”

Meta has already released a non-video specific watermarking tool, Watermark Anything, and a tool specifically for audio, called—you guessed it—Audio Seal. This latest video-focussed effort is designed to be much more resilient than similar software fromDeepMindandMicrosoft, although Fernandez admits that heavy compression and significant edits may alter the watermarks or “render them unrecoverable.”

Still, anything more resistant to removal than the current options strikes as a good thing, as a quick Google reveals multiple methods of AI-generated content watermark removal, which I won’t link to here. Still, the info is out there, and that means potentially harmful content is currently going unchecked.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

To that end, Meta also has plans to launch a public leaderboard, called the Meta Omni Seal Bench, which will compare the performance of watermarking methods, and is currently organising workshops at next years ICLR AI conference. Fernandez says the team hopes more AI researchers and developers will integrate watermarking into their work, and that they want to collaborate with the industry and academic community to “progress faster in the field.”

So come for the seals, stay for the fight against AI-generated misinformation. Sometimes it can feel like we’re drowning under a wave of an AI industry moving incredibly quickly into the future—with minimalchecks and balances—so it’s difficult not to applaud Meta for making attempts to rein in some of the more egregious side effects.

Particularly if it makes me think ofthis fella.You’re welcome.

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

Best gaming PCBest gaming laptop

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

More about aiNvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missingLogitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucksLatestHere’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony shipSee more latest►

More about ai

Nvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missingLogitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucks

Nvidia’s AI assistant named Project G-Assist

Nvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missing

A young Asian woman opening visual aids to give her audience a better understanding while holding a podcast session.

Logitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucks

LatestHere’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony shipSee more latest►

Latest

Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship

A chunky robot stares out a window at a moon

Here’s a game about being a depressed, lonely maintenance robot on a long-haul space colony ship

See more latest►

Most PopularEpic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Most Popular

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals