IS AI ART THE DEATH OF REAL ARTISTS?

Jackie Droujko
14 Jun 202411:44

TLDRThe video script addresses the controversy surrounding AI-generated art, questioning its impact on real artists. It discusses how AI art is trained on databases of thousands of artists' works, including a child's, and how companies and film studios are increasingly using AI art, potentially leading to job losses in the creative industry. The script also covers the recent policy changes by Meta and Adobe, which allow the use of users' content to train AI models, causing concern among artists. It introduces tools like Glaze and Nightshade, which artists can use to protect their work from AI mimicry, and ends with a call to action for artists to use these tools and share information about them.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 AI art has sparked controversy in the art community, with concerns about its impact on real artists.
  • 🤖 AI art is created by training on large datasets, including works from over 16,000 artists, which raises ethical questions about data theft.
  • 🎓 Even prestigious institutions like CalArts have posted AI art, only to remove it later, reflecting the ongoing debate about its legitimacy.
  • 📈 The use of AI art by major studios might be linked to the layoffs and project cancellations in the animation industry.
  • 👩‍🎨 Artists are struggling to find work, with many turning to social media to express their job search.
  • 🔧 AI art tools often require multiple rounds of feedback to correct basic mistakes, suggesting they are not yet a viable replacement for human artists.
  • 🚫 Meta's policy change allows them to use all posted content to train their AI models, raising concerns about artist consent and copyright.
  • 🏗️ Artists are migrating to platforms like Cara, which do not use their art for AI training, in response to these policy changes.
  • 📝 Adobe's updated terms of service grant them a license to use user-generated content for AI training, causing a backlash among artists.
  • 🛡️ Tools like Glaze and Nightshade are being developed to protect artists' work from AI mimicry and data poisoning.
  • 🔑 Smaller artists can also benefit from using these tools, as it helps to disrupt the data sets used by companies that misuse artwork without consent.

Q & A

  • What is the main concern of the art community regarding AI art as discussed in the video?

    -The main concern is that AI art, which is trained on datasets including thousands of artists' works, might replace real artists and lead to job losses in the creative industry, especially in animation and film studios.

  • How does AI art training work according to the video?

    -AI art is trained on specific datasets, which can include millions of artworks from real artists. AI learns from these datasets to generate new art, sometimes mimicking the style of specific artists by using their names as prompts.

  • Why did the prestigious animation film festival accept a film that uses AI art?

    -The video does not provide a specific reason for the festival's decision, but it implies that the acceptance might be controversial due to the debate over AI art's impact on real artists.

  • What is the impact of AI art on animation studios as mentioned in the video?

    -The video suggests a link between the use of AI art and the experience of layoffs, project cancellations, and a general sense of insecurity and job searching among artists and creatives in animation studios.

  • What is the role of 'glaze' and 'Nightshade' in protecting artists' work from AI training?

    -Glaze and Nightshade are tools that artists can use to modify their artwork in a way that is imperceptible to humans but significantly different to AI models, thus protecting their style from being mimicked by AI.

  • What recent policy change by Meta has raised concerns among artists?

    -Meta's new policy allows them to use all content posted on their platforms, including Instagram, to feed their AI models, which raises concerns about artists' work being used without consent.

  • How can artists opt out of Meta's new data scraping policy?

    -Artists can object to this policy by writing a paragraph explaining why they want to opt out and why they deserve to do so, but this option is confusing and not available in many countries.

  • What is the controversy surrounding Adobe's terms of service update as discussed in the video?

    -Adobe's updated terms of service grant them a worldwide, royalty-free license to use content created with their software, including for training their AI models, which has upset artists due to potential misuse of their work.

  • What is the purpose of the 'Cara' app mentioned in the video?

    -The 'Cara' app is a new platform for artists that does not use their artwork for AI training and does not allow AI art, providing an alternative to platforms like Instagram that may use their work without consent.

  • What does the video suggest artists can do to protect their artwork from being used for AI training?

    -The video suggests using tools like 'glaze' and 'Nightshade' to alter artwork in a way that confuses AI models, watermarking, uploading at a low DPI, and taking multiple photos of the artwork to deter AI data crawling.

  • What is the potential impact of using 'glaze' and 'Nightshade' on AI-generated art?

    -Using 'glaze' and 'Nightshade' can make AI-generated art that mimics an artist's style appear different or distorted, thus protecting the original artist's style and potentially disrupting AI training datasets.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 AI Art Controversy and Impact on Artists

The script addresses the growing concern within the art community regarding AI-generated art. It discusses how AI art is created using vast datasets of real artists' works, including a 6-year-old child's art, and how even big companies are using AI art in their advertising. The script also mentions the layoffs and project cancellations in animation studios, possibly linked to the use of AI art. An anonymous art director's experience with AI art's limitations in meeting creative demands is shared, highlighting that AI cannot replace artists yet. The video aims to provide hope amidst the controversy and discusses recent policy changes by Meta and Adobe that allow user content to be used for AI training, causing distress among artists.

05:01

🛡️ Protecting Artistry from AI Art Exploitation

This paragraph delves into the measures artists can take to protect their work from being exploited by AI models. It introduces tools like Glaze and Nightshade, which alter artwork in imperceptible ways to humans but significantly to AI, thus preventing AI from mimicking the style. The script also mentions the emergence of a new social media platform, Cara, which does not use art for AI training and has become a refuge for many artists. Additionally, it discusses Adobe's updated terms of service and the community's reaction, as well as the option to opt out of AI data crawling on Squarespace, which is highlighted as a positive step for artists looking to maintain control over their work.

10:03

🌐 The Future of AI Art and Artistic Autonomy

The final paragraph contemplates the potential positive uses of AI in the art industry, such as streamlining repetitive tasks and allowing artists to focus on more creative aspects of their work. However, it also expresses concern about the current trajectory of AI art and the need for new laws and legislation to protect artists' rights. The script suggests that in the absence of such protections, artists can use tools like Glaze and Nightshade to safeguard their work. It ends with a personal touch, inviting viewers to participate in a survey for a potential group trip to Japan, emphasizing community and collaboration among artists.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI Art

AI Art refers to artwork created with the assistance of artificial intelligence algorithms. These algorithms are trained on vast datasets of existing art to generate new pieces that can mimic the style of real artists. In the video, AI Art is a central theme, with concerns raised about its impact on real artists, as it can potentially replace human creativity and effort in the art industry. Examples include Disney using AI art for celebration and animation studios using it for official posters.

💡Mid Journey Ai

Mid Journey Ai is an AI tool that can generate art based on specific data sets. It has been trained on a database of over 16,000 artists, including a 6-year-old child, to create new artwork. The script mentions this tool as an example of how AI can mimic the styles of real artists, even including their signatures in the generated art.

💡Animation Studios

Animation Studios are companies that specialize in creating animated content, often for films and television. The script discusses how these studios have been using AI Art, which may be linked to layoffs and project cancellations within the industry. This suggests a shift towards AI-generated content over traditional animation by human artists.

💡Layoffs

Layoffs refer to the termination of employment for a group of employees. In the context of the video, layoffs are mentioned as a consequence of AI Art's integration into animation studios, indicating that the use of AI might be reducing the need for human artists and animators.

💡AI Prompters

AI Prompters are tools that generate AI Art based on user input. The script describes an art director's experience with AI Prompters, where they struggled to fix basic mistakes in the artwork, highlighting the limitations of AI in replacing human artists.

💡Meta's Data Scraping

Meta's Data Scraping refers to the company's policy change that allows them to use content posted on their platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to feed their AI models. This policy has raised concerns among artists, as it means their artwork could be used without consent to improve AI's art generation capabilities.

💡Opt-Out

Opt-Out is the process of choosing not to participate in a particular service or policy. The script mentions that artists can opt out of Meta's data scraping policy, but the process is confusing and not available in all countries, raising questions about the effectiveness and fairness of this option.

💡Cara App

The Cara App is a new social media platform that has gained popularity among artists due to its policy against using user content for AI training. The app is described as a hybrid of Twitter and Instagram, offering an alternative to platforms that may exploit artists' work.

💡Adobe's Terms of Service

Adobe's Terms of Service are the legal agreements that users must accept to use Adobe's software. The script discusses a recent update to these terms, which grants Adobe a royalty-free license to use content created with their software for AI training, causing concern among artists about the potential misuse of their work.

💡Glaze and Nightshade

Glaze and Nightshade are tools designed to protect artists' work from being used by AI models. Glaze creates minimal changes to artwork that are imperceptible to humans but different enough to confuse AI models. Nightshade 'poisons' the AI model's output by distorting features, making it harder for AI to mimic the artist's style. These tools are presented as a form of resistance against AI's encroachment on artistic creation.

💡AI Data Crawling

AI Data Crawling is the process by which AI models gather and analyze data, often from websites and social media, to improve their capabilities. The script mentions that Squarespace allows users to opt out of AI data crawling, protecting their content from being used for AI training.

Highlights

AI art has stirred controversy within the art community, with concerns about its impact on real artists.

AI art is trained on datasets from over 16,000 artists, including a 6-year-old child.

Large companies and prestigious institutions have been found using AI art, raising ethical questions.

AI art can mimic the styles of real artists, leading to potential copyright infringement.

Animation studios have experienced layoffs and project cancellations, coinciding with the rise of AI art.

An art director's experience with AI art revealed its limitations in making necessary corrections and producing usable work.

Meta's policy change allows them to use content posted on Instagram to train their AI models, raising privacy concerns.

Some artists have removed their work from Instagram in response to Meta's data scraping policy.

A new app, Cara, has emerged as an alternative to Instagram, promising not to use user art for AI training.

Adobe's updated terms of service have granted them a royalty-free license to use content created with their software for AI training.

Despite clarification, trust in Adobe has been shaken due to their past actions with AI and artist content.

Glaze and Nightshade are tools developed to protect artists' work from AI mimicry and data set poisoning.

Glaze alters artwork in a way that is imperceptible to humans but changes its appearance to AI models.

Nightshade aims to distort AI model outputs by introducing 'poison' samples into their training data.

The effectiveness of Glaze and Nightshade is being continuously updated to counter new AI models.

Smaller artists are encouraged to use Glaze and Nightshade to protect their work and contribute to the effort against unauthorized AI training.

The artist community is exploring ways to protect their work in the face of AI advancements and corporate policies.