Protein watermarks survive scrutiny: researchers say synthesis providers can incentivize keeping them
anshulkundaje · x · 2026-10-04
A discussion around a protein watermarking paper: a critic raised persistence under resequencing, and Pushmeet Kohli responded that the paper already addresses it. The key argument: even if watermarks can be stripped via resequencing, synthesis providers can incentivize customers to keep them intact—an intact watermark affirms the sequence was engineered and signals (limited) customer honesty, a rare signal in the business. The thread draws an analogy to image watermarking: regenerating a watermarked image may strip it, but if all frontier generation providers watermark by default (now standard for images), outputs often stay watermarked.
Related event: Researchers Debate Whether Protein Watermarks Can Survive Redesign(3 posts)→
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