Comic book with #AI art will retain copyright protection
A curated roundup of the most interesting stories in the world of AI-generated art.
In a significant victory for AI-artists, the U.S. Copyright Office has affirmed copyright protection for a comic book in which the images were AI-generated.
The copyright office found that Kris Kashtanova’s comic book, Zarya of the Dawn, deserved protection because Kashtanova wrote the text and selected the images and arranged them without the assistance of AI. However, the individual images in the book, which Kashtanova generated with Midjourney do not qualify for copyright protection. (You can read the letter from the U.S. Copyright Office here).
Kashtanova received copyright protection for their work last fall but was later notified by the copyright office that the work “should not have been registered” because it was unclear the work contained enough “human authorship” to merit copyright protection. (See an earlier post about Kashtanova here)
This week’s decision comes after Kashtanova’s attorney responded with an explanation of their creative process in putting the comic book together.
While it’s unclear whether this is the first work containing AI-generated images to receive copyright protection in the U.S., it is nonetheless an important victory in the nascent field of AI-art, opening the door for other creators to have their work that contains AI-art protected, as well.
In my earlier post, "It’s time for U.S. Copyright Officials to come to terms with AI-generated art,” I argued that the copyright office was using outdated notions and legal precedents in its approach to new technology. While the decision in Kashtanova’s case does not change the office’s stance on AI-generated images, it does offer some hope that the office may be open to evolving its policies.
For discussion
ars technica: Viral Instagram photographer has a confession: His photos are AI-generated - Benj Edwards
Consumer Goods: Coca-Cola Signs As Early Partner for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DALL-E Generative AI - Lisa Johnston
Freethink: Startup uses DALL-E to make food menus more appealing - Kristin Hauser
Just for kicks
Peta Pixel: AI ‘Photos’ Reveal What Fictional Couples’ Kids Would Look Like - Pesala Bandara
India Times: AI Vs. Artists: The Details In This 1855 French Painting Prove Why AI-Generated Art Can Never Replace Artists - Sejal Jakhwal
TECHEBLOG: Midjourney AI Takes the Various Styles of Famous Architects and Turns Them Into Cars
Tech
Yahoo!News: Why making human-like artificial intelligence may be 'a trap': AI expert - Alexandra Garfinkle
NFTs and Digital Art
UPI: Marilyn Monroe featured in NFT project 'Modern Muse'