Adobe Stock to Allow AI-Generated Images on Its Service
The company says the move isn't meant to replace human imagination with machine learning.
Adobe will now allow AI-generated images like this one by OpenAI's DALL-E AI system to be sold on its stock image service.
Adobe Stock will accept images generated by artificial intelligence on its service, it said in a blog post on Monday.
Unlike stock image services like Getty Images that have prohibited AI-generated illustrations on their platforms, Adobe is embracing content made with generators like DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. Such generators use text-to-image prompts to create art and other-worldly images.
"Adobe Stock contributors are using AI tools and technologies to diversify their portfolios, expand their creativity, and increase their earning potential," senior director Sarah Casillas said in the blog post. Adobe will accept art made with such programs under the condition that they are noted as such.
Leading up to Monday's announcement, Adobe was quietly testing AI-generated images. Casillas told Axios that the company was "pleasantly surprised" by the results. "It meets our quality standards and it has been performing well," Casillas said.
Due to possible copyright risks, Getty Images said in September that it would not use AI-generated images on its service. Adobe, on the other hand, created terms to avoid such risks. Creators must have property rights to their art before they submit it to Adobe and they must read the terms and conditions regarding AI tools. They cannot submit photos that include logos, famous characters, real places or notable people. If they abide by the terms and conditions, artists can earn royalties through their AI-generated content.
The image service noted in the post that this update doesn't intend on replacing human imagination with machine learning. Instead, AI is a tool to "enhance creativity," "accelerate the creative process" and benefit consumers and contributors alike, Adobe said in its blog post.