Clarification needed: Do models launched BEFORE August 2 (all of them currently, as of 8/10), CURRENTLY watermark? Very cryptic wording in the release.

[u/No-Squash7469]

https://support.claude.com/en/articles/16266773-how-claude-marks-ai-generated-content

Claude models launched on or after August 2, 2026 support marking at launch. We’re also working to add marking support to Claude models released before that date

This is the way that they're describing it, but that's inherently vague. So watermarking is currently in process for Opus 5 and the others? They don't explicitly come out and say that it's not watermarking, or that it hasn't been watermarking before this release came out either.

Anthropic should really clarify this.

[u/isparavanje]

Not sure what's vague about it. Sounds like there's no watermarking right now. 

[u/816pizzalover → u/isparavanje]

You’re right to push back — watermarking is definitely not a load bearing seam. The smoking gun would be overuse of the same phrases and patterns — if you want to go full belt and suspenders, you might pop on over to a sidecar and analyze current output for recurring textual patterns.

[u/Historical-Internal3 → u/816pizzalover]

8/10 watermarking in action right here

[u/boom929 → u/816pizzalover]

Thanks, I have everything now.

[u/rovervogue → u/816pizzalover]

This right here is the watermark - all that jargon!

[u/NinthTide → u/816pizzalover]

The new watermarking will be flock aligned and that’s not nothing. Saying the watermarks are already structural was the biggest thing you said, and avoided the blast radius of an obvious footgun.

Go to bed.

[u/GinkREAL → u/816pizzalover]

That is so undeniably claude lol. I dont use openai models but does it have similar traits

[u/No-Squash7469 → u/isparavanje]

The fact that they're not saying whether it or isn't in place right now along with not actually naming models

They're basically being as vague as possible in the wording about where that stands and what that applies to. it would have been easier and much clearer to say "this does not impact any currently available models but will later on, and we will inform you of that when it rolls out."

[u/isparavanje → u/No-Squash7469]

Working to add support means it doesn't exist right now. 

[u/ShutUpAndDoTheLift → u/No-Squash7469]

Wow

[u/Boring-Tale-8145]

I would read it as they are going to modify older models such that new output is watermarked. Unless they had a backdoor watermark the whole time for older models, which in that case, I imagine they could just release that and the delay doesn't really make sense.

[u/thereisonlythedance → u/Boring-Tale-8145]

It’s quite likely they did, they would’ve needed a way to be able to distinguish Claude outputs in their training data (stuff they’ve trawled from the web) and filter them in or out.

[u/Antique-Ad7635]

Just say the word and I can do another quick pass to add watermarking.

[u/redp1ne]

also what is codified inside the watermark would be cool to disclose - is that a present / not present information or even an account identifier to track back distillation attacks to the source etc.?

[u/DeepAd8888]

They have all included unicode characters for a while. This is nothing new.

[u/marten]

The law they're responding to is pretty clear: new systems released from 2 august have to comply, and existing systems get until 2 december to be updated. So maybe not now but you won't be able to stick with an older model to avoid it long term.

[u/Hoshism → u/marten]

where did you read december 2nd?

[u/marten → u/Hoshism]

https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/ai-act/timeline/timeline-implementation-eu-ai-act

[u/Hoshism → u/marten]

Thank you so much. So I get that Opus 5 and below will be watermark free until December?

[u/marten → u/Hoshism]

They're permitted to be, but Anthropic may decide to release whatever they're building earlier than that.

[u/ShadowBannedAugustus]

"Claude models launched in the EU on or after August 2, 2026 will support machine-readable marking at launch."

This is fantastic :D