Tuesday 11 August 2026 12:03 pm
Models launched in the EU from 2 August will include machine-readable marks
Anthropic will begin adding invisible watermarks to text generated by Claude as part of new EU rules designed to make AI-generated content easier to identify.But the system will also mark some text originally written by humans if it has subsequently been edited or processed by Claude, potentially complicating efforts to determine whether material was actually created by AI.The Sillicon Valley AI giant said on Tuesday that Claude models launched in the EU from 2 August will include machine-readable marks from release, while it is working to extend the technology to older models.Despite being introduced in response to the EU AI Act, Anthropic said the markings will apply worldwide wherever supported Claude models are available, including Claude, Claude Code and its developer platform.Text generated by the models will carry an embedded watermark that Anthropic said should remain when it is copied and pasted and may survive some editing.Meanwhile, images and other supported files will instead carry signed information showing that they have been processed by Claude.Anthropic said it would also make tools available to allow users and third parties to check for its marks, although technical details have yet to be published.The move comes as AI companies face growing pressure from regulators and publishers to make synthetic content easier to identify amid a sharp increase in machine-generated material online.City AM previously reported the rise of AI-generated “slop” reaching newsrooms, including opinion pieces and pitches presented as the work of executives and other contributors.
