Artists Fight Back Against AI Exploitation: The Battle for Copyright Protection

Artists Fight Back Against AI Exploitation

Artist Kelly McKernan was shocked to discover that her artwork had been used to train an artificial intelligence system without her consent. She found over 50 pieces of her artwork uploaded onto a data set that feeds AI image generators. This discovery led her to join forces with other artists in a lawsuit against generative AI organizations, including Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DeviantArt.

The issue of AI using artists’ work without permission is becoming more prevalent, with Getty Images also filing a case against Stability AI for unlawfully copying and processing millions of images. Artists like Eva Toorenent are taking action by setting up organizations like the European Guild of Artificial Intelligence Regulation to protect copyright holders and artists from predatory AI companies.

The lack of protection for artists in the face of AI exploitation has led to calls for more regulation and legal protections. Artists are demanding that they have the right to decide what happens to their work and that they should be compensated for the unauthorized use of their art.

In response to the growing concerns, the EU has proposed the AI Act, which would require AI tools to disclose any copyrighted material used to train their systems. In the UK, a global summit on AI safety is set to take place to address the intellectual property issues raised by generative AI.

While regulators work to catch up with the fast-paced developments in AI technology, tools like Glaze, developed by Ben Zhao and his team at the University of Chicago, are emerging to help protect artists against AI models. Glaze exploits the differences in how humans and AI models view images to prevent unauthorized use of artists’ work.

As artists continue to fight for their rights in the face of AI exploitation, the hope is that increased awareness and legal protections will ensure that artists are fairly compensated for their work and that their creative rights are respected in the digital age.