Adobe is now the latest stock image vendor to hop on the AI-generated artwork bandwagon. The software company announced on Monday that it now lets artists submit AI-generated artworks to sell. This is just one more facet of Adobe’s goal to fully embrace the AI-based image synthesis movement while the rest of the stock image world grapples with the morals and ethics of licensing and selling computer-generated content.
Mind you, it’s not the wild west over at Adobe Stock, though. The company has put numerous measures in place to ensure that the content users submit does not violate any copyright laws. Every artist has to declare that they have the right to use the image, and users must submit any AI-generated content as an illustration. This applies even if the content in question is a photorealistic creation.
Furthermore, there are new guidelines pertaining to generative AI to which each artwork must adhere. In these guidelines, it is stipulated that should an artwork bare a realistic resemblance to any person, living or deceased, the artist must include a model release along with the submission. Should a generative AI artwork contain or reference the intellectual property of another person, the submission must include a property release stating that the artist has the permission required to use such IP. These releases clarify who owns the rights to the subject matter of the artwork, but not who owns the AI generated artwork itself.
While there’s certainly a market for content generated by artificial intelligence, we haven’t yet fully discussed the implications of letting such a market exist. How will this sale of AI-generated stock images impact the people who dedicate mass amounts of energy, skill, and passion to taking the perfect image or creating compelling digital art for commercial purposes? Is AI likely to steal artists jobs?
No matter what the implications of this technology and its uses are, the industry shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, there is likely to be an even heavier reliance on AI-generated art in the future. Only time will tell whether the coming AI revolution will be a threat or a tool on humanity’s story.
