AI-generated images represent a double-edged sword, offering immense creative potential while also posing significant ethical challenges. As technology advances, it is imperative to address the ethical considerations surrounding privacy, consent, authenticity, bias, and the impact on artistic and creative fields.
Prominent image agency Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE: SSTK) has introduced TRUST as their official guiding framework for the responsible use of AI in its products and workflows.
The acronym TRUST stands for Training, Royalties, Uplift, Safeguards, and Transparency, encompassing the core commitments that Shutterstock has steadfastly upheld over the past two decades.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made tremendous advancements in recent years, revolutionizing various industries and aspects of our lives. One significant application of AI technology is in the generation of images, a capability that holds vast creative potential. However, the proliferation of AI-generated images raises important ethical considerations.
In an industry characterized by rapid evolution and a lack of regulation, the TRUST framework serves as a practical checklist for companies exploring AI technologies and reaffirms Shutterstock’s lifelong commitment to prioritizing its contributors.
The key commitments within Shutterstock’s TRUST are as follows:
Training: Respecting the intellectual property rights of artists is central to Shutterstock’s content licensing business. This involves ensuring that their AI models are trained exclusively on properly licensed content and demanding the same standard from AI partners.
Shutterstock meticulously ensures it possesses the rights to license the content on its platform, and that the content aligns with their content standards. Additionally, contributors have the option to opt out of data deals to respect their autonomy, with only about 1 percent of contributors having chosen to do so thus far.
Royalties: Shutterstock’s commitment to supporting artists is exemplified through the Shutterstock Contributor Fund, which compensates hundreds of thousands of artists. This fund is expected to make payments to millions more artists for their contributions to training Shutterstock’s generative technology.
Uplift: Shutterstock’s mission has always been to promote inclusive content and collaborate with underrepresented content creators to achieve a broad spectrum of representation. Initiatives like the Create Fund and partnerships with UN AI for Good and World Ethical Data Foundation support this goal.
Shutterstock is dedicated to enhancing representation across different genders, ethnicities, and orientations, and emphasizes the use of human-created stock content alongside AI to empower rather than replace the unique talents of artists.
Safeguards: Shutterstock has pioneered advanced indemnity protections for a secure and ethical experience for customers and their audiences. This includes tailored protections and content controls to maintain legal integrity and brand safety.
These controls prevent the creation of content featuring adult themes, offensive content, or violence, and offer liability protection for AI training across all licenses of AI-generated content. Shutterstock Enterprise users can receive similar protections for AI-generated content as traditional stock assets, and special cases receive additional asset assurance.
Notably, Shutterstock offers Enterprise users the option for a human review of their licensed content for indemnification, which is highly valued by more than 60 percent of respondents in a survey conducted with Shutterstock Enterprise customers.
Transparency: Shutterstock is committed to transparent AI practices and content provenance. It ensures a clear distinction between AI-generated and human-created content on its platform to safeguard against deepfakes, disinformation, and misuse.
Shutterstock refrains from selling AI-generated content with unknown or unclear origins, and contributors cannot upload AI-generated content to Shutterstock’s primary library.
Through its support of and participation in the Content Authenticity Initiative, Shutterstock labels all AI-generated content and metadata according to C2PA/IPTC industry standards. This provides users with verifiable and tamper-evident information, certifying the creation, authorship, and edit history of each asset.
Ethical guidelines, regulations, and responsible AI practices should be developed and implemented to ensure that AI-generated images are used in ways that benefit society while upholding fundamental principles of fairness, transparency, and respect for individual rights and artistic expression.
The responsible use of AI-generated images can harness the power of this technology for the betterment of society, and by doing so, we can navigate the ethical complexities that arise in this era of digital creativity and innovation.
Shutterstock’s ethical approach to AI has positioned it as a sought-after partner and collaborator for industry leaders such as NVIDIA, Meta, OpenAI, LG, and others. Together, they are working to develop foundational generative AI tools and standards for creators across various media formats.
Shutterstock’s extensive and diverse content library, enriched with robust metadata, remains unparalleled in size and quality, making it a leading resource for training AI capabilities.
AI-generated images can blur the line between what is real and what is artificial. This ambiguity can undermine trust in visual media and challenge the authenticity of images. In journalism, for instance, the veracity of news photos can be compromised as AI can manipulate images to deceive the public.
Maintaining the authenticity of images is crucial to preserving the trustworthiness of information in the digital age. Ethical guidelines for the responsible use of AI-generated images are essential to safeguard against misinformation.
The rise of AI-generated images can disrupt traditional artistic and creative industries. For instance, AI-generated art has gained popularity, with pieces selling for substantial sums. This raises questions about the value of human creativity and the authenticity of AI-generated art.
Artists may face challenges in asserting their creative identity when AI can replicate their style. Ensuring that AI-generated art respects intellectual property rights and that creators receive due recognition is an ethical imperative.
The prevalence of AI-generated images can have profound psychological and societal effects. People might question the authenticity of all visual content, leading to a general sense of skepticism. This may affect how individuals perceive reality, eroding trust in visual information and impacting decision-making. Therefore, it is crucial to address the ethical implications of AI-generated images for the mental well-being of society.
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Further reading
In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence, 2017 by George Zarkadakis
How to Create Amazing AI-Generated Images and Word Resource Catalog, Softcover, 8×10, 114 Pages: An organized approach to creating dramatic, vivid and expressive images, 2023
by Duncan O
How To Create Breathtaking AI Images: A Guide to Art Terminology Kindle Edition by Gina Debogovich
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