AI-generated images have been a major talking point over the past year, with many worried they will replace actual artists. Shutterstock, known for selling stock images, will soon be selling AI-generated images, surprising a number of people and industry rivals.
The news comes as a surprise to many since the company previously removed AI-generated images in the past. Unsurprisingly, there have been a lot of negative reactions towards this major announcement and that won’t be stopping anytime soon.
Shuttershock now sells AI-generated images
New Scientist reports that Shutterstock will be selling AI-generated images as part of a major collaboration with company Open AI. Images from Open AI’s DALL-E 2 software will be sold by the stock photo company, surprising some of its rivals.
Interestingly enough, the company has announced that artists using AI generators are going to be properly compensated, which is good. Supposedly, these artists will get paid and even get royalties for the AI-generated photos they make for the photo website.
“When the work of many contributed to the creation of a single piece of AI-generated content, we want to ensure that the many are protected and compensated (instead of allowing an individual to generate and take full credit for that content),” a company representative said.
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Why artists are against this
Like many AI-related issues in the world, many artists are against these programs replacing actual humans and their hard work. Adrian Alexander Medina, a website and magazine editor, admitted that some artists he knew lost opportunities due to these AI-generated photos that Shutterstock will be selling.
“I work a lot with photo manipulation art. I pay fees for licensing and use completely royalty-free images. If websites like Shutterstock and others that offer licensed assets for graphic design use start allowing AI into their libraries, it’ll be akin to having sewer water leak into the drinking supply,” he says.