With the increasing development of generative AI technology, AI creation and design have become one of the popular forms of artistic creation today. For example, people can use generative AI technology to generate music, images, text, and other content at a very low cost, giving people access to a wider range of ways to create art. However, the rapid development of AI technology has also led to a number of problems. In particular, the emergence of tools such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, while helping to assist creatives in their work more efficiently, has led to the violation of the rights of countless painting creators due to many users feeding copyright images to AI models. What’s more, there is no one enforcing creators’ wishes to have their content opted out of AI datasets due to the lack of laws and legislation by the government.

Artists have no real alternative to protect their art from being scrapped as most of the social media platforms they post their work on such as Lofter, Twitter, Instagram, etc. give them no protection against AI scrapping. There is always the possibility of someone stealing their work and feeding it to the AI, as a small corner watermark is largely ineffective in imitating the AI's style. While a large watermark does not look good and defeats the original intent of posting their work online. Creators who post their works online all run the risk of having their style plagiarized and stolen and fed into generative AI models.

Worryingly, the development of AI painting models is also outpacing the development of recognition AI technology. Our team tested this out by uploading AI images by Midjourney and Stable Diffusion on a number of online platforms for AI Image Detection with unsatisfactory results.

So how can creators best protect their work and their unique style until (hopefully) laws on AI are passed?

Choose Platforms With More Anti-theft Measures And A Focus on Copyright

New ParagraphProtecting your creative works from AI-generated content and ensuring copyright protection is crucial in today's digital landscape. Choosing the right platforms to showcase your work can significantly contribute to safeguarding your own intellectual properties. When choosing platforms to post works, creators should look for those with strong security measures, DRM tools, and clear copyright policies. Platforms that disable screenshots, restrict downloads, and implement hidden watermarks can deter unauthorized use. Ensure the platform has community guidelines and reporting mechanisms for copyright violations. Consider platforms that offer copyright monitoring, enforcement, and legal support. UniFans is an ideal choice, which is a fledgling fan-based subscription platform that is currently developing anti-AI features with the latest anti-AI theft technology. We are always on the side of the creators and work tirelessly to better protect everyone's creative contributions in their respective fields. 

Protect Your Work With A Style Cloak

Glaze is a tool to help protect artists from stylistic imitation of AI art models such as MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and their variants. It is a collaborative project between the SAND Lab at the University of Chicago and members of the professional artist community.

The principle used is that the creator uploads the original image using the Glaze native tool, which adds "watermarks" to the original image that are invisible to the naked eye but recognizable by the machine. These "watermarks" then have the effect of misleading the image when the work is fed to the AI for training purposes. When this work is fed to the AI as training data, it misleads the AI into generating models that try to mimic the style of a different artist. They released a Beta 2 version for free download on 18 March 2023 which you can check out on their website.

While Glaze is not a permanent solution against AI art scrapping, it is not a bad option to protect one's creative style. Though speed of generating a Glaze-protected image leaves much to be desired(depending on the rendering speed, generating a protected image could take 20 minutes to 60 minutes)

Use Integrated Protection Platforms

ArtShield is a web-hosted platform that offers tools and services designed to protect human artists and their creative works from potential infringement or misuse by AI systems. It aims to empower artists to safeguard their intellectual property and maintain control over their artistic creations in an increasingly AI-driven world.

ArtShield employs several mechanisms to help protect human artists, including:

1. Copyright Monitoring: ArtShield employs advanced algorithms to continuously monitor online platforms and detect instances where AI-generated content might infringe upon the copyrights of human artists. It scans various mediums such as images, videos, and text to identify potential unauthorized usage.
2. Content Identification: The platform uses sophisticated techniques such as image recognition, metadata analysis, and content-matching algorithms to identify instances where AI-generated content closely resembles the works of human artists. This helps artists discover potential infringements and take appropriate actions.
3. Digital Watermarking: ArtShield offers digital watermarking tools that allow artists to embed unique identifiers, such as logos, signatures, or metadata, directly into their digital artworks. These watermarks can be used to prove ownership and deter unauthorized use of the artwork.
4. Legal Support: In case of copyright infringement or unauthorized usage, ArtShield provides artists with access to legal resources and guidance. It may offer information on copyright laws, assist in issuing takedown notices, or connect artists with legal professionals specializing in intellectual property rights.
5. Community Engagement: ArtShield fosters a community of artists who can share their experiences, insights, and best practices related to protecting their artistic creations from AI-generated content. This collaborative environment helps artists stay informed and collectively address challenges related to AI and copyright protection.

By utilizing the services and tools provided by ArtShield, human artists can proactively safeguard their creative works, detect potential infringements, and take appropriate action to protect their intellectual property rights.

Conclusion

Protecting creative works from AI painting and ensuring copyright protection is crucial in the digital age. While legal regulations on AI models are still being developed, creators can take steps to safeguard their work. Choosing platforms with strong anti-theft measures and a focus on copyright, such as UniFans, can provide added protection. Additionally, utilizing tools like Glaze, which adds invisible watermarks to deceive AI models, can help protect a creator's unique style. Platforms like ArtShield offer copyright monitoring, content identification, digital watermarking, legal support, and community engagement to empower artists in protecting their artistic creations. While no solution is foolproof, implementing these strategies can better protect creators until AI laws and regulations are established.