Copyright lawsuits have been popping up over time as online image generators gain traction. On June 11th, Hollywood corporations alleged that a popular AI art site, Midjourney, was infringing on copyrighted material. Yet another lawsuit has been filed as of yesterday. The plaintiffs, Disney, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery, are alleging copyright infringement against a Chinese AI company, Minimax.
Mark Daley, Chief AI Officer at Western University, spoke about what AI art can do as a medium. He’s talked frequently to the press in conversations surrounding AI technology as part of his role at Western.
“It empowers you to do things that you never would’ve been able to do any other way,” Daley says.
Daley isn’t the only one who feels this way. On the social platform X, many people have taken to using various generative AI sites to post artwork. Daley also says the tool opens up a world of possibilities for those with physical disabilities.
An image of a painter generated by Stable Diffusion AI
“I think that’s a really positive thing. To be able to create greater inclusion in the art world,” Daley says. For example, someone with a physical disability who is unable to paint can fulfill their vision in this medium with a simple prompt put into an AI image generator.
The on-the-tap convenience of generated art can’t be denied. Daley says he can see how this convenience is changing the commercial art industry.
“They don’t need perfect art,” says Daley of companies replacing human artists with AI. Particularly, for quick jobs such as flyers or posters. Generated artwork is cheaper and faster than traditional artwork made by a person.
“There’s whole careers in commercial art that are being massively disrupted, and I feel a huge degree of sympathy for those folks,” says Daley.
Many artists and art lovers have expressed their fear and apprehension online amid the rise of AI art. But according to Daley, the future will still hold space for those wanting to fill a creative role in the corporate world.
“Artists will be able to outsource some of the mechanics of doing the art,” Daley says. The work would still need to go through a human lens, though, to help connect it back to clients and audiences.
