Visual artists fight artificial intelligence companies

Artists seek to protect their copyrights and careers by suing makers of artificial intelligence tools for damages

Kelly McKernan's acrylic and watercolor paintings are bold and vibrant, often featuring female figures in bright greens, blues, pinks, and purples. The style, in the artist's words, is surreal, ethereal... it addresses discomfort in the human journey. The word human has a special resonance for McKernan these days. Although it has always been a challenge to make a living as a visual artist (and the pandemic made things worse), McKernan now sees an existential threat to artists coming from a medium that is decidedly not human: artificial intelligence (AI).

It's been about a year since McKernan, who refers to herself as Elle, began noticing images online eerily similar to her own style that were apparently generated by entering her name into an artificial intelligence engine. .

McKernan, 37, who lives in Nashville and creates digital artwork and illustrations, learned that companies were feeding artwork into artificial intelligence systems used to train imagers, something that once sounded like a bizarre sci-fi movie, but one that now threatens the livelihood of artists around the world.

"People would tag me on Twitter and I would say, 'Hey, this makes me uncomfortable (uncomfortable)'. I did not consent to my name or my work being used in that way,'" the artist said in a recent interview. , whose bright blue-green hair reflects her work. “I've even reached out to some of these companies to say, 'Hey, I'm une pequeñe artiste (little artist), I know you're not thinking of me at all, but it would be great if you didn't use my job this way.’ And, crickets sounded, absolutely nothing.”

McKernan is now one of three artists seeking to protect their copyrights and her career by suing makers of artificial intelligence tools that can generate new images on command.

The case awaits a decision by a federal judge in San Francisco, who has expressed some doubt about whether artificial intelligence companies are infringing copyright when they analyze billions of images and spit out something different.

“Here we are David against Goliath,” McKernan said. “At the end of the day, someone is benefiting from my work. My rent was due yesterday and I was $200 short. That's how desperate things are right now. And I just don't feel good."

The lawsuit may serve as an early indicator of how difficult it will be for all kinds of creators—Hollywood actors, novelists, musicians, and computer programmers—to stop AI developers from profiting from what humans have created.

https://www.diariolasamericas.com