Artists fight AI programs that copy their styles

29/03/2023

Artists fight AI programs that copy their stylesArtists outraged by artificial intelligence that copies in seconds the styles they have sacrificed years to develop are waging battle online and in court.

by Agence France-Presse

29-03-2023 14:10

in Art and Artists

Image from Twitter by Sport NFT Card

Artists outraged by artificial intelligence that copies in seconds the styles they have sacrificed years to develop are waging battle online and in court.

--

Fury erupted in the art community last year with the release of generative artificial intelligence (AI) programs that can convincingly carry out commands such as drawing a dog like cartoonist Sarah Andersen would, or a nymph the way illustrator Karla Ortiz might do.

Such style-swiping AI works are cranked out without the original artist's consent, credit or compensation the three C's at the heart of a fight to change all that.

In January, artists including Andersen and Ortiz filed a class-action lawsuit against DreamUp, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, three image-generating AI models programmed with art found online.

--

ALSO READ: Is Artificial Intelligence the future of art?

Andersen told AFP she felt violated when first she saw an AI drawing that copied the style of her Fangs comic book work.

She fired off an indignant reaction on Twitter; it went viral, and other incensed artists reached out to her with stories of their own.

--

Backers of the suit hope to establish legal precedent governing generative AI models that copy artists' styles.

Artists want AI creators to be required to secure permission for works used in training software, with an option to remove it.

They also want suitable compensation.

There is room for a conversation about what that would look like, said Ortiz.

ALSO READ: Musk and experts call for halt in giant AI experiments'

Compensation could take the form of a licensing model, she mused, and would need to be appropriate.

It would be wrong for artists to get a couple of cents while the company gets millions of dollars, added Ortiz, whose resume includes working for Marvel Studios.

Cheap and easy On social networks, artists are sharing tales of jobs being lost to generative AI.

The suit notes that a video-game designer named Jason Allen last year won a Colorado State Fair competition with art created using Midjourney.

Art is dead, dude. It's over. AI won. Humans lost, Allen was quoted as telling The New York Times.

ALSO READ: Chinese tattoo artist: Tells women's stories through ink

The Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands sparked controversy by displaying an AI-generated image inspired by Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring.

The San Francisco Ballet, meanwhile, caused a stir by using Midjourney to generate illustrations used in promotional material for Nutcracker performances in December.

It's sort of a natural consequence of something being easy and cheap and accessible, Andersen said.

Of course they are going to use that option, even if it is unethical, she added.

AI companies named in the lawsuit did not respond to requests for comment.

Stability AI founder and chief executive Emad Mostaque has portrayed generative software as a tool that can tend to mundane image output and provide new ways of ideating for artists.

ALSO READ: Influential Japanese manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies

Mostaque contends that it will allow more people to become artists.

Critics disagree. When a person prompts software to draw in the style of a master, they say, it does not make that person an artist.

Mostaque has said that if people choose to use generative AI unethically or to break the law, that's their problem.

Death of creativity? Companies defending themselves from artists' copyright claims are likely to claim fair use, an exception sometimes allowed when a new spin is put on a creation or when it is only briefly excerpted.

The magic word used in the US court system is transformative, said lawyer and developer Matthew Butterick.

ALSO READ: Massive asteroid to pass Earth THIS WEEKEND

Is this a new use of the copyrighted work, or does it replace the original in the marketplace?

Artists are turning not just to the courts but to technology to defend themselves against generative AI.

Prompted by artists, a team at the University of Chicago last week launched their Glaze software to help protect original works.

The program adds a layer of data over images that, while invisible to the human eye, acts as a decoy for AI, said Shawn Shan, the doctoral student in charge of the project.

That still leaves the onus on artists to adopt Glaze. Butterick predicts a cat-and-mouse game as AI makers figure out ways around such defenses.

ALSO READ: South Korea to build world's largest' chip centre

Butterick also worries about the effect of AI on the human spirit.

When science fiction imagines the AI apocalypse, it's something like robots coming over the hill with laser guns, he said.

I think the way AI defeats humanity is more where people just give up and don't want to create new things, and (it) sucks the life out of humanity.

By Julie Jammot Agence France-Presse

SOAPIE QUIZ: How well do you know Generations: The Legacy'? WIN R1 000 in cash!

LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/art-artists/artists-fight-ai-p...
	See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

22/04/2026

Polish national football team play-off games top monthly programme list

The nation unites around football team's World Cup dream Warsaw, Poland, 20.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and media intell...

22/04/2026

Nielsen and the Polish Organisation of Advertisers announce strategic partnership to elevate marketing standards in Poland

Warsaw, Poland, 22.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data...

22/04/2026

Nielsen helps New Zealand brands expand internationally with greater clarity and confidence

New market intelligence offering gives businesses a clearer view of local consum...

22/04/2026

Glookast Unveils New UX, YouTube and Social Media Connectors, Premiere Panel, Cinnafilm Tachyon Plugin and More at NAB

Glookast Unveils New UX, YouTube and Social Media Connectors, Premiere Panel, Ci...

22/04/2026