Revolutionizing creative processes, Getty Images introduces Generative AI by iStock at CES 2024. Leveraging AI trained on their vast stock libraries, this service generates licensable images and artworks while safeguarding against copyrighted content. Priced at $15 for 100 images, it ensures legal compliance and integrates with apps via an API. Amid AI’s copyright debates, concerns persist regarding data replication and fair use doctrines. Lawsuits against GenAI developers highlight copyright infringements. Getty’s legal coverage, offering $10,000 per licensed visual, reflects their commitment to addressing potential disputes. This release showcases advancements but underscores the ongoing legal, ethical, and technological complexities in AI-generated content.
Getty Images, the renowned stock media company, has made waves with its latest announcement at CES 2024—a groundbreaking service named Generative AI by iStock. This innovative offering harnesses the power of AI models trained on Getty’s vast iStock stock photography and video libraries to create new licensable images and artworks, marking a significant stride in the realm of creative technology.
At the core of this service, which features contributions from Nvidia’s technological advancements, lies a sophisticated AI framework engineered to prevent the inadvertent reproduction of copyrighted elements such as recognized products, individuals, locations, or any other protected content. Boasting accessibility across 75 languages, Generative AI by iStock not only modifies existing images but also crafts entirely new ones. Moreover, it offers the flexibility of integration with existing applications and plugins through an API.
Pricing for this cutting-edge service stands at $15 per batch of 100 generated images—an attractive proposition considering the potential it holds for the creative community. Grant Farhall, iStock’s Chief Product Officer, expressed the primary aim of Generative AI by iStock: to empower customers with a seamless and cost-effective AI-driven creative process while ensuring legal compliance and protection against copyrighted elements sneaking into their work.
This release marks Getty’s second foray into GenAI tools, arriving at a time when discussions surrounding copyright within AI applications intensify.
GenAI models, drawing insights from vast troves of data encompassing artworks, e-books, essays, and more, tend to replicate these examples when prompted, potentially causing copyright concerns. Notable instances include Microsoft’s chatbot generating counterfeit Disney posters. Such instances raise questions when copyrighted materials are utilized without appropriate permissions or fees paid to the original creators.
Gary Marcus and Reid Southen highlighted in a recent piece how AI systems, such as OpenAI’s DALL-E 3, inadvertently reproduce data without explicit prompts, underscoring the lack of accessible tools or databases to ascertain potential copyright infringement.
In this landscape, certain GenAI developers argue for protection under the fair use doctrine, particularly in the United States. However, the resolution of these issues seems distant, prolonging the debate on legal and ethical frameworks governing AI-generated content.
Artists have initiated legal actions against Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt, alleging copyright infringement as these companies’ models were trained on their works, producing outputs imitating their unique styles. Getty Images, separately, has sued Stability AI in the U.K. for purportedly copying and processing millions of copyrighted images and associated metadata owned by Getty.
Amidst these legal tussles, select vendors are stepping up by offering to cover the legal expenses of customers embroiled in copyright lawsuits stemming from their use of GenAI tools. Generative AI by iStock follows suit, providing a safety net of sorts. Each licensed visual generated by a customer through this service comes with $10,000 in legal coverage, as stated by Getty—a measure serving as a safeguard in the event of copyright disputes.
Getty’s launch of Generative AI by iStock heralds a promising era in creative technology. This innovative service, blending AI prowess with legal consciousness, opens new avenues for artistic expression. However, it also casts a spotlight on the persistent challenges surrounding copyright within AI-generated content. Legal disputes, ethical considerations, and the complex interplay of innovation and intellectual property rights continue to shape this landscape. The provision of legal coverage by Getty, offering $10,000 per licensed visual, aims to mitigate potential conflicts, highlighting their commitment to navigating copyright issues. As technology advances, the release of Generative AI by iStock stands as both a testament to innovation and a reminder of the intricate legal and ethical facets influencing creative endeavors.
