Artificial intelligence (AI) has made its way into everything, even art. Silicon Valley is currently fascinated by AI art and is in a race to commercialize what is called generative artificial intelligence. It refers to the idea of having computers perform creative tasks like designing, writing, and filmmaking.
Recent developments in machine learning have made AI art possible and while one part of the world is fascinated by what this means, a vast body of artists and illustrators worry about its implications. AI art generators are capable of outpacing human creators and severely diminishing the value of their works.
AI Art Generators
AI art generators are quick and have access to a large dataset of images. They draw references from the Internet, wherein most artists are unaware that their creations are available in the public domains. Although ethically the companies must notify these artists about their archives, most companies do not as the information is considered public.
Poland-based artist Greg Rutkowski raised his voice against his practice after he learned that his works have been used as a prompt for AI art generators online. As the image-making algorithms used his name for works, people were unable to differentiate between his work and AI art.
Furious, he called for artificial intelligence-made art to exclude living artists from its database. Some of the most popular and best online AI art software include DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion.
Just last month, Microsoft rolled out its AI art generator called Image Creator to preview in select markets. Later this month, the company is expected to roll it out to Microsoft Edge.
Meanwhile, stakeholders associated with art are furious at the callousness with which art is being treated and have warned of legal and ethical implications of reckless use of AI art generators.
Risks and Ethical Issues: AI art
One person who has been extremely vocal about his opposition to AI art is Getty Images CEO Craig Peters. The executive told The Verge that his company has banned the sale of art made by AI. However, they do have a partnership with an Israeli company that offers AI-powered image editing tools.
Peters told Verge that the company decided to stop the use of art created by AI as many legal and ethical issues pertaining to it are yet to be resolved, starting from copyright issues. As AI-powered art references materials by different artists, it also calls into question the legality of the rights that were leveraged to create the piece and most platforms do not have a concrete answer to such issues.
Peters added, “I think we’re watching some organizations and individuals and companies being reckless… I think the fact that these questions are not being addressed is the issue here. In some cases, they’re just being thrown to the wayside. I think that’s dangerous. I don’t think it’s responsible. I think it could be illegal.” Most AI art generators crawl the Internet for references and inspiration. As this technology is new, there is a lot more leeway that is given as they are in their developmental stages.
But Peters believes that when the law catches up to these “creators” there could be a world of trouble. He acknowledges the advantages of having AI but insists on following ethical and legal guidelines.
Peters asserted that AI art generators are not a threat to the industry but it is necessary to respect the work of artists, who have honed their skill and craft over time. Many artists have also started contacting companies to delist their work from AI training modules.
Artists Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon recently launched Spawning, a tool that allows artists to have greater control on how their styles and likeness are used by machines. Artists looking to take the legal route face an uphill battle as nobody can copyright styles. Furthermore, most AI art companies do not have clearly defined policies in place.
As the field continues to evolve, artists are calling for regulations so that technology can coexist with human creators. Some have even started forming associations to lobby the big corporations behind AI art generators.
