From Fortune:
A class-action lawsuit has been filed by a group of artists against Midjourney, a research lab using Stable Diffusion image-generation engine. The lawsuit claims that the AI technology is nothing more than a copy-and-paste machine, feeding off others’ work. Artists included in Midjourney’s database are demanding billions of dollars in compensation.
Amidst the controversy, it’s been noted that Andy Warhol himself was a frequent target of copyright lawsuits in his lifetime. The dispute between artists and Midjourney raises questions about the age-old battle between originality and imitation in the art world. Among other accusations, Warhol settled three lawsuits by photographers whose work he used without permission.
The case has sparked widespread indignation in the creative community, with artists protesting against their inclusion on Midjourney’s stylistic copy list. Legal experts weigh in, noting that while Midjourney may have indeed copied a lot of material, the crucial issue is whether or not it constitutes fair use. There is no copyright over an artistic style, only individual creations.
The lawsuit against Midjourney promises to further complicate the ethical and legal dimensions of AI-driven artwork. The debate will continue between autonomy and plagiarism in the AI realm, especially in an era when technology could potentially erase the line between inspiration and infringement. Midjourney has not commented on the lawsuit.
Read more: Midjourney class action lawsuit filed by artists recalls Andy Warhol’s Factory, Lichtenstein, Shepard Fairey