The world of AI-generated art has taken social media by storm, allowing people to effortlessly transform their selfies into depictions of royalty, Vikings, and Victorian aristocrats. However, despite the apparent fun and games, a myriad of issues lurk beneath the surface.
At the heart of concerns about AI-generated art lies the issue of ownership. Who truly owns the rights to the art produced by an AI generator, and what can be said about the entity behind the generator itself? Many generators demand payment and ask users to provide images of themselves, raising questions about copyright and the potential exploitation of user data.
It is critical to read the terms and conditions of AI art generators closely to understand what you may be giving up in exchange for a whimsical image, particularly regarding the use of biometric data. For instance, popular generator Prisma Labs claims that users "retain all rights in and to your user content," while simultaneously stating that it holds a "perpetual, revocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully paid, transferable, sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works" with user images.
Another significant issue in the world of AI-generated art is copyright. In the United States, works created by a machine are not eligible for copyright protection, leading to confusion about who holds the rights. Is it the individual who created the AI generator, the person who fed the generator their images, or the individual whose images were used to teach the AI algorithm?
The ethics of AI-generated art are also heavily debated, particularly regarding the practice of AI art generators drawing inspiration from freely available art on the internet without obtaining permission from the original creators. Many argue that this practice disregards the consent of the creators whose work was used to teach a machine how to create art in their style, raising questions about whether AI-generated art can truly be considered "real" art.
Lastly, AI-generated art has the potential to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases. As AI generators learn from human-made content, offensive and harmful images can occasionally slip through the cracks, despite most AI generators being programmed to filter out negative representations.
While AI-generated art can be entertaining and creative, it is crucial not to overlook the underlying issues. As AI technology continues to advance, it is imperative to consider how we can create and consume art ethically and fairly, ensuring that all parties involved are treated justly.