When we talk about the generation of images with artificial intelligence , we usually stay on the artistic level. Few times have we talked about the possibilities of benefiting from the images generated by programs like Midjourney, Dall-E or Stable Diffusion. However, it was surprising that sooner or later, the microstock banks were going to be filled with images generated by neural networks. Until now, almost none of these companies had spoken on the subject. Getty Images has taken the lead with a decision that will give a lot to talk about.
Getty opposes Artificial Intelligence
Getty Images seems to have it clear. They don’t want one more image in their catalog that has been generated by an AI. According to those responsible for Getty, from now on, they will look closely at the images that are uploaded to their platform and all those that have indications of having been generated by artificial intelligence will be rejected . In addition, they will review the content that has been uploaded in recent weeks to eliminate all those that have passed the filter.
For Getty, the problem with AIs is precisely in the way they generate content. The AIs themselves do not have images, so they do not copy anything at all. They simply turn billions of photos and illustrations into simple metadata that they use later to ‘draw’. However, the programs have been trained on images that are copyrighted . According to this image bank, rejecting this type of content is a way to heal for when the laws end up saying the last word.
Business license is another contentious issue
What rights does a person have over an image who has simply entered a line of text into a program? It depends on the program you are using. Both OpenAI software and Midjourney have made it clear that the user generating the content owns the rights to the final image . Even with the right to commercial exploitation.
But they are not all the same in this matter. Stable Diffusion does not allow the exploitation of images, but that does not matter. Who is going to stop to analyze with what AI an image has been generated?
What is eaten for what is served
When we saw the speed at which this world was advancing, it was clear to us that the stock banks were in the worst possible position. Many companies are going to be able to save a lot of money on images by generating them instead of buying the licenses online through stock.
As an occasional contributor to some of these image banks, I think that what is happening with the AIs is to some extent a bit of divine justice. Most microstock banks have been pretty mean to collaborators, especially since the pandemic. They have become more demanding when it comes to approving content and have started paying much less . It was obvious that some collaborators were going to use AI to try to inflate their portfolios and scratch more sales.
And the thing does not end here. What happens if I upload a photo that is totally real, but to which a texture or an element that has been generated by AI has been added? Or better yet: What would happen if, to avoid sending the dreaded ‘Model Release’, we replaced the people in a photo with faces generated by artificial intelligence? Stock banks are going to have it pretty tough from now on.