PC Guide is reader compatible. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. read more
A new AI watermarking technology designed to prevent video game leaks is currently in development. The technology, previewed at GDC earlier this month, allows video game developers and publishers to “visibly” protect their biggest secrets using a technique known as steganography. The gaming industry is often plagued by leaks of content and footage released ahead of expected launches. The biggest one that comes to mind personally is the Half-Life 2 leak from way back in 2003.
Keeping early previews and information secret is always a challenge for developers. Troy Batterberry, CEO and co-founder of EchoMark, led a presentation during GDC titled “Stopping Insider Leaks Through the Use of AI-powered Steganography” to show developers how to protect their IP and other sensitive information.
Identify information leak routes using AI
Whatever your stance on AI involvement in games, using artificial intelligence to prevent games from leaking seems like it would provide peace of mind to developers and save them a lot of time. At this year’s GDC, Batterberry called the technology “a whole other level of watermarking,” according to Game File (an attendee).
best early spring sale sale
Amazon has begun slashing prices on some of the industry’s best tech products ahead of its upcoming spring sale. Below are today’s deals.
Prices and availability are subject to change at any time. Discounts were accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change or expiry without notice.
Steganography refers to the process of seamlessly hiding information within other data to hide the original content. EchoMark uses AI to hide unique identifying marks in this way. One of the main tools is the ability to make thousands of small adjustments to the line spacing within your document. Humans won’t notice this, but artificial intelligence will.
This means that copies of documents shared via email will always be slightly different, and if something is leaked, AI will be able to identify which employee’s copy was shared. This is said to mean that each recipient of sensitive information has a unique “fingerprint.” They may also rephrase words or slightly change the structure of sentences, resulting in potentially more than a trillion different versions that can be identified by AI.
Additionally, EchoMark’s CEO demonstrated a new “alpha blend” technology that overlays a translucent watermark onto a computer screen. Almost invisible to humans, if something is leaked, neural networks can trace screenshots and photos back to the culprit. Essentially, this is internal monitoring that helps prevent information leaks, especially if there are legal implications.
Game File claims that organizations are already implementing this without notifying employees, but in the case of movie studios, making sure each person knows that their copy is personalized has become a more standard practice to deter “sneaky” behavior. In other words, we should cut ties with reliable anonymous insider leaks and let those responsible get into a lot of trouble.
