The landmark copyright lawsuit by Getty Images against artificial intelligence firm Stability AI is set to commence at London’s High Court on Monday. The outcome of this trial is poised to set a critical precedent concerning the legal framework surrounding AI.
Getty, a Seattle-based company known for its editorial and stock images, alleges that Stability AI has infringed its copyrights by using its image bank to train the Stable Diffusion AI system, which generates images from textual prompts. While Getty also pursues a parallel lawsuit in the U.S., it claims that Stability AI illicitly extracted millions of images for this purpose. Meanwhile, Stability AI, supported by significant investments, challenges the claims, asserting that the dispute centers on technological progression and the freedom of creative expression.
The case arrives amid multiple lawsuits worldwide regarding AI’s use of copyrighted content for training models. Industry experts predict that the ruling will significantly impact not only the future legal landscape but also potentially influence government policy and the creative industry’s strategies moving forward.
(With inputs from agencies.)