Shutterstock, the popular stock photo site, has announced plans to provide full indemnification to business users of its AI art generator. The move aims to boost business confidence in AI and protect companies from potential legal claims arising from images created using the platform’s AI technology.
Shutterstock has said that any AI-generated images under legal claims will undergo human review. The decision by Shutterstock comes shortly after Adobe’s similar announcement to introduce IP indemnity for businesses using its generative AI platform, Firefly. These developments indicate a growing focus on addressing the industry’s legal concerns surrounding AI-generated content.
The lack of a thorough review and vetting process for AI-generated images on Shutterstock’s platform has raised concerns about potential copyright infringement and ethical issues. Without proper scrutiny and editing, businesses using these images may face legal consequences, negating the advantages of speed and cost efficiency that AI tools offer.
Jeff Cunning, Shutterstock’s Vice President of Product, emphasized the significance of the move, saying to Techradar, “This is a critical advancement, not just for our platform, but for the industry as creatives and business professionals alike can use the AI content generated on our platform for any purpose, whether it’s commercial or personal, without worrying about copyright infringement or ethical issues.”
The need for assurance regarding the legality and commercial safety of AI-generated images is recognized by industry leaders in the generative AI space. John Lapham, General Counsel at Shutterstock, acknowledged this, stating, “Business professionals are seeking more assurance around their rights to legally use AI-generated content, and creators of original content want to ensure their work is fairly licensed for use.”
After trials with selected customers, Shutterstock will expand its indemnification protections to all enterprise users upon request. This offering ensures that companies using Shutterstock’s platform are safeguarded against potential legal claims related to using generative AI images.
Shutterstock has been actively integrating generative AI into its platform since partnering with OpenAI in October 2022, enabling customers to use DALL·E for AI image generation.
It’s an interesting move by the company and not wholly unexpected. One of the major stumbling blocks with generative AI for commercial use is the lack of copyright on generated work. The US Copyright Office recently reaffirmed its stance on AI, saying that no AI-generated works have any copyright cover.
[Via Techradar]
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