Meta’s AI Video Watermark: What It Does and When to Use It

TLDR: Meta now embeds invisible watermarks into videos generated with its Emu Video model. It doesn’t apply to all AI video tools, only Emu for now but it signals a shift. If your team publishes any AI-generated video content, you need to know what model produced it, whether it’s traceable, and what happens if someone questions its origin. This blog explains the watermarking tech, where exposure exists, and how to build safeguards into your workflow.

What is Meta’s watermarking tool and how does it work?

Meta released an invisible watermark called Stable Signature. It’s automatically applied to video content created using Emu Video, Meta’s internal text-to-video generation model.

This watermark is:

• Embedded directly into the pixels of the video
  
• Not visible to viewers or editors
  
• Detectable using Meta’s open-source verification tool
  
• Designed to persist even after cropping, compression, or reposting
  

If your team uses Emu Video—directly or through Meta features (like Instagram or internal tools), any AI-generated video is already watermarked. If you’re using other models, it’s unlikely your videos carry any traceable signal.

Why watermarking matters in your organisation

You don’t need to be using Emu to care about this.

The issue isn’t Meta’s tool. It’s whether your team:

• Knows what tools are generating video
  
• Can confirm what’s AI-made and what isn’t
  
• Can respond if a published asset is challenged, misquoted, or misused
  

This applies if you’re using AI to:

• Generate public video explainers or promos
  
• Create internal comms assets that get repurposed externally
  
• Produce draft visuals that become final content through light editing
  
• Work with agencies that use generative video under the hood
  

We’ve seen this show up in real settings:

1. A comms team published a video with no record of which model generated it
   
2. A third-party supplier delivered a synthetic asset without disclosure or watermark
   
3. A social media manager repurposed a team draft without knowing it contained generated visuals
   

Once it’s live, no one can answer how it was made.

How watermarking works—and doesn’t

The watermark is not metadata.
It’s not a visual overlay or tag.
It’s a hidden pattern embedded in the visual structure of the video file.

That means:

• It stays intact after basic edits
  
• It doesn’t rely on file names or export history
  
• It can be checked using Meta’s detection tool
  

But:

• It only works if the video was made using Emu Video
  
• It doesn’t help with content made using tools like Runway, Pika, Synthesia, D-ID, or anything else
• Most generative video tools currently don’t add any watermark or traceability
  

This is what your team needs to know, not just whether watermarking exists, but whether it applies to the tools they’re actually using.

What to watch for in your content workflows

These are the gaps that lead to exposure:

• No inventory of what AI tools are being used for video
  
• No process to track which content is synthetic vs. human-made
  
• No knowledge of whether a watermark exists or can be verified
  
• Over-reliance on third-party suppliers without documented production steps
  

Watch for signals like:

• "We used a bit of AI but cleaned it up after" (no record of the original model)
  
• "It’s mostly human-made" (but no clarity on which sections aren’t)
  
• "The tool doesn’t show where the footage came from" (no watermark, no source file)

This shows up downstream when teams are asked to prove originality, defend attribution, or correct public claims.

What to do now

• Audit where AI-generated video is being used
  
• Ask your team and suppliers: which tools are involved? Which assets are affected?
  
• Check which models apply watermarks
  
• Emu Video does. Most others don’t. Add this to your tool evaluation list.
  
• Build traceability into your publishing workflow
  

Add checks like:

• What model was used?
  
• Was a watermark applied?
  
• Who reviewed the final file before publishing?
  
• Brief internal teams and content vendors

Clarify that final assets containing synthetic media must be flagged and, where possible, watermarked or documented.
 

FAQ

Q: Is Emu Video publicly available? No. It’s used internally at Meta and in some consumer features (e.g. Instagram). You can’t generate video directly with Emu unless it’s built into a tool you use.

Q: Does this affect AI-generated images? No. This watermark only applies to video generated by Emu Video. Other watermarking research for images exists but isn’t included here.

Q: Can the watermark be removed? Not easily. It’s designed to persist through editing, compression, and reposting. Attempting to remove it would require significant degradation or technical effort.

Q: Should we tell the public we use watermarked AI content? Not necessarily. This watermark is invisible and intended for verification, not public disclosure. But you should be able to answer if asked.

Where to start

• AI Bootcamp: Work with your own content to build publishing workflows that track tools, outputs, and synthetic content risk
  
• AI Fundamentals Masterclass: Teach your team how watermarking, traceability, and detection tools actually work
  
• Readiness Assessment: Identify blind spots where your AI content practices don’t meet future standards

AI-generated video isn’t the problem. Publishing it without traceability is.