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Understanding Watermark and Identification of Text Generated by ChatGPT or AI

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Understanding Watermark and Identification of Text Generated by ChatGPT or AI

Amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), there arises an important need to distinguish between content created by humans and that generated by machines. Well, this is where the concept of digital watermarking plays a crucial role. This article will casually yet informatively discuss what a watermark on AI text is, how it works, and how we can recognize AI-generated text like that from ChatGPT.

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AI watermark

What is a Watermark on AI Text?

In the context of AI-generated text, a watermark is a hidden mark inserted into the structure or pattern of the text. The purpose? To trace the origin of the content and distinguish whether it was created by AI or a human (Hosni, 2024). Just like a watermark on an image, but this time hidden among words and phrases.

Purpose and Function of Watermarking in AI Content

  • Automatic detection: to recognize AI content without having to read the manual.
  • Authenticity verification: proving that the text was indeed generated by a specific AI model.
  • Distribution tracking: monitoring the spread of AI content on the internet and preventing misuse (Calzada et al., 2025).
  • Copyright protection: safeguarding AI-generated work from plagiarism.

How Watermarking Works in AI Text

Watermarks in AI text are usually inserted through statistical manipulation of words or phrase selection based on specific algorithms. For example, AI models like ChatGPT can be directed to more frequently select certain words from a secretly predetermined list. This pattern is difficult for humans to recognize, but it can be detected with certain software (Conroy, 2023).

Type of Watermark: Explicit vs Implicit

  • Explicit: For example, a logo or additional text that can be directly seen.
  • Implicit: Inserted secretly within the text structure and can only be recognized by algorithms (Jalil & Mirza, 2010).

Implicit watermarks are more commonly used in text because they do not disrupt the appearance and quality of the content.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

  • Maintaining the quality of the text so that it is not disturbed by the watermark.
  • Protecting user privacy if the watermark is used for tracking.
  • Avoiding the misuse of watermarks by irresponsible parties.

Therefore, it is important to have clear regulations and ethics regarding its use (Zhao et al., 2024).

AI Text Detection Technology

  • Perplexity: A measure of text randomness. AI text is usually too "neat" and predictive (Walters, 2023).
  • Linguistic analysis: Tracking sentence structure, word choice, and unique language style.
  • Machine learning: Using detection models trained to distinguish between human vs AI text (Lehner et al., 2022).

Advantages and Limitations of AI Text Detection

Advantages:

  • Fast and scalable
  • High accuracy in controlled settings

Limitations:

  • AI is getting smarter, making detection harder
  • Bias depending on topic or language
  • False positives/negatives can occur

Does ChatGPT Leave a Watermark?

By default, ChatGPT does not insert an explicit watermark in its text. However, research is ongoing to embed implicit watermarks that can be identified by certain detection systems (Kasneci et al., 2023; Munawar et al., 2023).

This implicit watermark can take the form of a shift in the probability of word selection, without altering the meaning or quality of the text (AlAfnan & MohdZuki, 2023).

Ethics in the Use of Watermarks

Watermarks must be used responsibly. If misused, it could violate:

  • User privacy, if used for covert tracking.
  • The right to freedom of expression, if used to limit the distribution of information.

Legal and ethical frameworks must accompany the development of this technology to prevent negative impacts (Huda & Suwahyu, 2024).

How to Recognize AI-Generated Text

  • The text is too neat or overly neutral.
  • Repetitive phrases or sentence structures.
  • Lack of style variation or personal voice.
  • Contextual gaps, especially on culturally nuanced topics.

However, as AI improves, the distinction becomes increasingly subtle (Rifky, 2024).

Conclusion: Where Does Watermarking Stand in the AI Era?

Watermarking has now become an important part of the digital security ecosystem. It allows us to:

  • Maintain content authenticity
  • Increase public trust in AI technology
  • Protect digital copyrights

But more importantly, this technology must be balanced with an ethical and legal framework so that its use does not have negative impacts. In an increasingly complex digital world, transparency and accountability are key.

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