Thousands of artists are calling on world renowned auction house, Christie’s, to cancel an upcoming sale of AI-generated artwork.
At the time of writing, the letter has gathered 3,556 signatures but also added more fuel to the flames in the debate about the content that AI models are trained on, especially whether copyrighted works can be used.
There are already lawsuits taking place over this issue, but some AI pioneers – notably OpenAI – are claiming that they simply can’t train their models without accessing materials they don’t own.
Mass Theft
The letter now has signatories from around the world, all of whom are petitioning Nicole Sales Giles and Sebastian Sanchez of Christie’s in New York, to stop the sale. Not only is it copyright infringement, they write, but it actually “incentivizes AI companies’ mass theft of human artists’ work”.
“Many of the artworks you plan to auction were created using AI models that are known to be trained on copyrighted work without a license. These models, and the companies behind them, exploit human artists, using their work without permission or payment to build commercial AI products that compete with them.”
The Guardian adds that two of the artists involved – Karla Ortiz and Kelly McKernan – are currently suing AI companies with accusations that they used their works without permission.
What Do the Artists Want?
According to the letter, artists essentially want the Augmented Intelligence auction stopped. They write: “We ask that, if you have any respect for human artists, you cancel the auction.” The auction is due to start on February 20th and features 20 lots with price tags up to $250,000.
However, Christie’s seems to be having none of it and told The Guardian that “in most cases” the AI used by the digital artists was trained using their “own inputs.” The spokesperson also said that many of the artists in the sale are “multidisciplinary” and some have works in the collections of “leading” museums.
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Copyright Stalemate
Some of the artists who created the AI works have also jumped to their own defense. However, this auction is now becoming a battle in a far-reaching, global war.
Creators – whether artists, writers, actors and musicians – want to protect their copyright. They do not want their works used without permission to train AI models. They want control over how their work is used and by who. And they want financial recompense if they do agree to works being used by AI companies that they make agreements with.
However, AI companies want to innovate and iterate; and they claim they can’t do this if they do not have access to the training material they need. AI development is also pricey and the US firms are up against Chinese ventures who may have less regulations about sticky matters like copyright.
This doesn’t seem to be a matter that will be settled anytime soon; but all eyes are currently on Christie’s and its decision – not least as this could set a precedent in how AI-created art work is perceived and valued.
