Image generators: How the art community can now defend itself against AI art thanks to “Glaze”

A research group at the University of Chicago has developed an effective technique. This technique allows artists to protect their artwork from AI image generators that use artificial intelligence to create images in an existing style.

As reported by the New York Times software is called “Glaze” , which places a kind of “veil” over the images that is not visible but prevents AI systems like Stable Diffusion from reproducing the style.

This approach is reminiscent of methods used to prevent facial recognition.

How AI image generators are shaking up the art world

It is no exaggeration to say that the introduction of text-to-image generator models shook the art industry and triggered a veritable earthquake among artists. By sending simple text requests like "A picture of a dog on the moon" to processing models like Stable Diffusion or MidJourney , suddenly any user can create incredibly detailed, high-resolution graphics and artwork.

Previously, this required many hours of work from professional artists. AI art has even won prizes at established art conferences, served as magazine covers, and is used to illustrate video games

More powerful models continue to enter the market, catalyzed by venture capital funding and technological research breakthroughs. Just a few months after their release, these models quickly reach a broad user base and are growing rapidly in terms of users and platforms. In September 2022, MidJourney reported over 2.7 million users and 275,000 AI-generated artworks being created every day.

Beyond unresolved legal issues concerning copyright, intellectual property, and artistic consent for use, it is clear that these AI models have significant negative impacts on independent artists. For the estimated hundreds of thousands of independent artists
worldwide, most work on commission and attract clients by promoting samples of their artwork online.

Professional artists undergo years of training, developing their individual artistic style. The AI ​​model also relies on imitating existing styles and benefits from training with them, without compensating the artists responsible. This effectively ends their ability to earn a living.

The imitation of synthetic art by popular artists continues to increase. This pushes original artwork out of search results, further impairing the artist's ability to promote themselves and showcase their work to potential clients.

Ultimately, these copycat attacks demoralize art students training to become future artists. Art students see their future careers being replaced by AI models.

Fear of marketing one's own art

Artists are afraid to publish new work on online platforms, Ben Zhao, a computer scientist involved in the project, told the US newspaper. They fear that by doing so, they are “feeding the monster, which is getting bigger and bigger .

This would destroy their business model. Therefore, they developed a tool that allows them to make artworks available for download, slightly modified to make it impossible for AI technology to recognize a style. A test with 1,000 artists showed that Glaze is extremely effective.

It quickly became apparent that AI image generators like Stable Diffusion or Midjourney could be used to mimic the style of individuals after their success last year. The case of Polish digital artist Greg Rutkowski , whose style was frequently copied, made this clear.

He told the New York Times that he “significantly fewer requests” for illustrations of his work. This criticism had also reached those who developed Stable Diffusion, and as a result, the AI ​​no longer generates art in Rutkowski's style.

The conflict is escalating

The Chicago team explained that artists can upload their work to Glaze and choose a different style, which minimally alters the artwork and prevents it from being used as training material for AI systems. This allows the work to be posted online without the risk of AI learning the style.

However, they admit that this isn't future-proof and that countermeasures will eventually be found. In the meantime, new works can be protected. Versions for Windows and Mac are planned, and they hope for widespread distribution. Rutkowski intends to use Glaze .

Following last year's uproar surrounding AI image generators , the software has helped creators effectively defend themselves against the unauthorized use of their work. Lawsuits have already been filed against several AI companies .

Raymond Ku , a copyright expert, told the New York Times that he expects some kind of compensation system to be developed soon, from which artists will receive minor financial compensation if needed.

The conflict is likely to escalate further until that point.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.

www.kunstplaza.de

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