AI art tools face lawsuits over copyright infringement

MAHMOUD BENNETT: IN THE WORLD OF AI, SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES ARE FACING A LEGAL BATTLE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS. 

STABILITY AI, MIDJOURNEY, AND DEVIANTART ARE AT THE CENTER OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT CLAIMS THEIR AI ART TOOLS HAVE INFRINGED ON THE RIGHTS OF MILLIONS OF ARTISTS AND COULD CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE ART MARKET.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS AT THE HEART OF THIS LAWSUIT?  IT ALL COMES DOWN TO HOW THESE AI TOOLS ARE TRAINED. ACCORDING TO THE VERGE, GENERATIVE AI ART MODELS ARE FED BILLIONS OF PICTURES COLLECTED FROM THE WEB. THESE AI ART GENERATORS CAN THEN BE USED TO CREATE ARTWORK THAT REPLICATES THE STYLE OF SPECIFIC ARTISTS, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE A DIRECT COPY OF THE IMAGE.

WHILE THE CREATORS OF THESE AI TOOLS ARGUE THAT WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS COVERED BY FAIR USE DOCTRINE UNDER US COPYRIGHT LAWS, EXPERTS SAY IT’S A COMPLICATED QUESTION THAT WILL NEED TO BE SETTLED IN THE COURTS. AND IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, GETTY IMAGES IS JOINING THE FIGHT, FILING THEIR OWN LAWSUIT IN A UK COURT, ALLEGING COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT OF MILLIONS OF THEIR IMAGES.

IT’S A LEGAL BATTLE THAT’S SURE TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF AI AND THE ART COMMUNITY. WITH BILLIONS OF IMAGES AT STAKE, AND THE RIGHTS OF MILLIONS OF ARTISTS ON THE LINE, IT’S A STORY WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HERE AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS WHERE YOU CAN ALWAYS DEMAND THE UNBIASED – STRAIGHT FACTS