One of the most significant problems in the AI industry is the proliferation of AI-generated art. AI art doesn’t just threaten the jobs of IRL artists. It is also frowned upon because AI models are “taught” to create by being fed art from real artists. This has led to certain artistic styles and choices being emulated without the artists’ consent. A prime example is the recent Studio Ghibli AI art craze.
Organizations like the US Copyright Office have tried to fight back against this threat with regulations. However, at this point, the beast of AI seems like it’s too difficult to slay. Policy makers are also considering the idea of obtaining artists’ consent before their work is replicated with AI.
Would Getting Artists Permission Would Destroy AI?
However, one person who opposes this plan is former Meta executive Nick Clegg. In a recent media appearance, the former UK deputy prime minister argued that while artists should have the option of opting out of their work being used to train AI, getting their consent is a much trickier matter.
“I think the creative community wants to go a step further,” Clegg said, per The Times. “Quite a lot of voices say, ‘You can only train on my content, [if you] first ask’. And I have to say that strikes me as somewhat implausible because these systems train on vast amounts of data.”
“I just don’t know how you go around, asking everyone first. I just don’t see how that would work,” he added. “And by the way if you did it in Britain and no one else did it, you would basically kill the AI industry in this country overnight.”
Clegg’s prediction feels a little far-fetched, to say the least. But even if he is right, the idea of the AI industry struggling because nobody asks artists if these models can use their art feels like an appropriate price to pay. If there’s a choice between creators’ livelihoods and an industry that thrives on stolen content, the creators should come first.
