Remember when Getty was all upset about unauthorized use of their images by Stable Diffusion AI? Well, now they’re following suit and joining in on the AI-generated image trend. Getty Images has recently announced the launch of Generative AI, a tool created in collaboration with NVIDIA that combines their creative content with AI technology.
This tool seamlessly integrates with Getty’s existing image library and offers AI-generated images that are commercially safe and come with full indemnification for commercial use. It’s not surprising that Getty has finally embraced AI image generation, considering Adobe and Shutterstock have been offering it for months.
Getty’s sudden change of heart on AI image generation is quite a shift from just a year ago when they actually banned AI images from their website. However, based on the comments on the LinkedIn post, the contributors to Getty stock aren’t happy about this decision. Just like Adobe’s stock contributors, they are concerned that this AI move will affect their sales. To make matters more complicated, the US Copyright Office has reiterated multiple times in the past year that AI-generated images have no copyright power. This means using these images for commercial purposes can be risky.
Despite the controversies and challenges surrounding AI generation, it seems to be the way of the future. Stock companies can’t afford to ignore this trend and must jump on the bandwagon to remain competitive. If you’re a stock photographer who hasn’t diversified yet, it may be wise to start exploring other options.