A new NBC article discusses a recent controversy surrounding a list of artists whose work was allegedly used to train a popular artificial intelligence (AI) art generator. This list, which contains approximately 4,700 names, went viral after being shared by artist Jon Lam. It was also used as an exhibit in a lawsuit against several companies, including Midjourney, Stability AI, DeviantArt, and Runway AI. These companies are accused of misusing copyrighted artwork from visual artists to train their generative AI systems.
Many artists have specifically accused Midjourney, a popular AI program known for creating images based on text prompts, of using their work without permission. Additionally, a spreadsheet containing nearly 16,000 artist names as “proposed additions” to a “Midjourney Style List” has been shared on social media. Midjourney’s founder, David Holz, allegedly shared this list in the company’s public Discord server in early 2022.
The controversy has highlighted the lack of regulation surrounding AI-generated art, which has gained popularity with apps like Lensa and Epik. These apps allow users to generate images based on their likenesses, raising ethical questions about profiting from mass-produced images created by AI models trained on the styles of real-life artists.
In a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of artists, the plaintiffs argue that AI-generated art is built around “human intelligence and creative expression, in the form of billions of artworks copied from the internet.” They contend that AI image products disconnect these artworks from their creators, allowing companies to profit without artists’ consent, credit, or compensation.
Public access to the document containing the list of artists closed after it went viral, but an archive of the spreadsheet remains available online. Many artists have expressed concerns that AI programs are generating images directly from their works rather than creating new art styles, leading to oversaturation of the market with machine-derived versions of their art.
This controversy reflects broader concerns in creative industries about AI-related protections and copyright issues. It has also raised questions about the responsibility of companies using AI to respect the rights and contributions of artists. Prominent artists, including Norman Rockwell, Wes Anderson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Hayao Miyazaki, and Tim Burton, were among those named in the exhibit.