Tech Giants Back California Bill Requiring AI Watermarks

OpenAI, Adobe and Microsoft have thrown their support behind a California bill requiring tech companies to label AI-generated content, according to letters from the companies viewed by Dakidarts. The bill is headed for a final vote in August.

AB 3211 requires watermarks in the metadata of AI-generated photos, videos and audio clips. Lots of AI companies already do this, but most people don’t read metadata. AB 3211 also requires large online platforms, like Instagram or X, to label AI-generated content in a way average viewers can understand.

OpenAI, Adobe and Microsoft are part of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, which helped create C2PA metadata — a widely used standard for marking AI-generated content.

A trade group representing Adobe, Microsoft and the nation’s largest software makers previously opposed AB 3211 in April, calling the bill “unworkable” and “overly burdensome” in a letter to California lawmakers. However, amendments to the bill appear to have changed their minds.