Shutterstock and OpenAI Collaborate on AI Tool for Transparent and Ethical Image Creation

By Matic Broz, editor-in-chief of Photutorial covering stock media, Adobe, and design. He founded Photutorial while finishing his PhD in computational biosciences.

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Shutterstock Generate by Shutterstock and OpenAI

Shutterstock, one of the leading stock media agencies, has announced the development of a new AI tool called Shutterstock Generate in partnership with OpenAI, the company behind the popular online tool Dall-E. This text-to-image generation tool allows users to create visuals based on text prompts and will be trained exclusively with Shutterstock content.

The launch of Shutterstock Generate is significant, as it could signal a full acceptance of AI image licensing by the stock media industry. The tool is expected to be available to all users on Shutterstock’s website in the coming months, and interested users can sign up for the waitlist now. With the ability to create visuals at the speed of imagination, Shutterstock Generate has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about image creation.

Legal and ethical concerns surrounding AI-generated images

One of the main challenges for stock media agencies in embracing AI imagery has been the legal framework surrounding it. There have been questions about the legality of AI-generated images since they are created from “scraps” and bits of other existing, human-created, and often copyrighted work. Concerns have also been raised about how ethical it is for AI generative models to scrape and process data.

However, Shutterstock is taking a transparent and ethical approach to creating AI images with Shutterstock Generate. The company has created a “Contributor Fund,” a royalty system under which Shutterstock contributors will receive a percentage of the earnings from datasets and downloads from Shutterstock Generate when their work is included in the datasets. This ensures that the artists whose work is used to train the AI tool are fairly compensated.

In addition, Shutterstock has announced that it will only accept images created using Shutterstock Generate into its catalog. Previous to this, the company had already rejected AI image submissions due to copyright ownership issues and the questionable ethics of AI generative models scraping and processing data. By creating its own AI tool and providing a revenue share program for contributors, Shutterstock hopes to solve these concerns and establish a clear and fair legal framework for AI-generated images.

Features and capabilities of Shutterstock Generate

Shutterstock Generate is a text-to-image generation tool that allows users to create visuals based on text prompts. Simply type out a description, and the tool will generate an image based on the input. This unique feature allows for creativity and flexibility, as users can create a wide range of images by simply changing the text prompts.

In addition, Shutterstock Generate is being trained exclusively with Shutterstock content. This means that the images created with the tool will be based on a vast and diverse dataset of images, ensuring high quality and authenticity.

The tool is expected to be available to all users on Shutterstock’s website in the coming months. Interested users can now sign up for the waitlist to be notified when Shutterstock Generate is launched. With the ability to create visuals at the speed of imagination, Shutterstock Generate has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about image creation.

Shutterstock Generate’s Contributor Fund

Shutterstock is taking a fair and ethical approach to creating AI images with Shutterstock Generate. One way the company is doing this is by creating a Contributor Fund, a royalty system under which Shutterstock contributors will receive a percentage of the earnings from datasets and downloads from Shutterstock Generate when their work is included in the datasets.

This ensures that the artists whose work is used to train the AI tool are fairly compensated for their contributions. Every six months, artists will receive a payout reflecting a share of the total contract value paid by developers. The individual share will be calculated according to the volume of their work and metadata included in the datasets.

The Contributor Fund is a unique and innovative way for Shutterstock to show appreciation for the artists whose work is instrumental in developing the AI tool. Shutterstock can create a transparent and ethical system for AI image creation by providing a revenue share program.

Conclusion

The launch of Shutterstock Generate is significant, as it could signal a full acceptance of AI image licensing by the stock media industry. The tool is a collaboration between Shutterstock and OpenAI, the company behind the popular online tool Dall-E, and is focused on developing a new text-to-image generation tool.

One of the main challenges for stock media agencies in embracing AI imagery has been the legal framework surrounding it. However, Shutterstock is taking a transparent and ethical approach to creating AI images with Shutterstock Generate. The company has created a Contributor Fund, a royalty system under which Shutterstock contributors will receive a percentage of the earnings from datasets and downloads from Shutterstock Generate when their work is included in the datasets. In addition, Shutterstock has announced that it will only accept images created using Shutterstock Generate into its catalog.

With features such as text-to-image generation and exclusive training with Shutterstock content, Shutterstock Generate has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about image creation. The tool is expected to be available to all users on Shutterstock’s website in the coming months, and interested users can sign up for the waitlist now. The future of image creation is here with Shutterstock Generate.

Sources

  1. SHUTTERSTOCK PARTNERS WITH OPENAI AND LEADS THE WAY TO BRING AI-GENERATED CONTENT TO ALL. Press and Media. Shutterstock.com. Published October 25, 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022.
  2. Shutterstock Joins Forces with LG AI Research to Advance AI Technology to Revolutionize the Creative Journey. Press and Media. Shutterstock.com. Published November 17, 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022.
  3. ‌Johnston B. Creativity at the Speed of Your Imagination. The Shutterstock Blog. Published October 25, 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022.
  4. Johnston B. Infographic: What Do Creators Think About Generative AI? The Shutterstock Blog. Published November 10, 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022.
  5. Create Confidently with AI Generated Images. Shutterstock. Published 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022.

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