Core Viewpoint - A new watermark removal technology called UnMarker can effectively remove almost all AI image watermarks within 5 minutes, challenging the reliability of existing watermark technologies [1][2][6]. Group 1: Watermark Technology Overview - AI image watermarks differ from visible watermarks; they are embedded in the image's spectral features as invisible watermarks [8]. - Current watermark technologies primarily modify the spectral magnitude to embed invisible watermarks, which are robust against common image manipulations [10][13]. - UnMarker's approach targets the spectral information directly, disrupting the watermark without needing to locate its specific encoding [22][24]. Group 2: Performance and Capabilities - UnMarker can remove between 57% to 100% of detectable watermarks, with complete removal of HiDDeN and Yu2 watermarks, and 79% removal from Google SynthID [26][27]. - The technology also performs well against newer watermark techniques like StegaStamp and Tree-Ring Watermarks, achieving around 60% removal [28]. - While effective, UnMarker may cause slight alterations to the image during the watermark removal process [29]. Group 3: Accessibility and Deployment - UnMarker is available as open-source on GitHub, allowing users to deploy it locally with consumer-grade graphics cards [5][31]. - The technology was initially tested on high-end GPUs but can be adjusted for use on more accessible consumer hardware [30][31]. Group 4: Industry Implications - The emergence of UnMarker raises concerns about the effectiveness of watermarking as a solution to combat AI-generated image authenticity [6][36]. - As AI image generation tools increasingly implement watermarking, the development of robust removal technologies like UnMarker could undermine these efforts [35][36].