AI image apps like DALL·E and Stable Diffusion are everywhere. They generate stunning visuals—but at what cost?
These models are trained on millions of copyrighted artworks, scraped from the internet without consent or payment. Artists’ styles are replicated, commodified, and sold—while the original creators are left behind.
“AI is an aesthetic vampire—sucking the lifeblood of living artists.” — Carlos Mendoza
Legally, it’s a gray area. Companies defend the practice as “statistical learning”, but it amounts to mass creative appropriation. Worse, artists can’t easily prove their work is being used, nor afford legal battles.
Ironically, only corporate giants like Disney may have the power to push back—if their IP appears in AI-generated outputs.
Without action, we risk a future of:
- Homogenized art
- Legal loopholes for tech giants
- Vanishing careers in creative fields
This isn’t anti-tech. It’s pro-artist. Let’s build AI that uplifts creators—not replaces or exploits them.
Based on Charlie Sorrel’s article (Lifewire, Dec 2022)