Midjourney

There are several AI generators for both writing and art, but Midjourney is one of the more popular programs circulating the internet right now. Unlike writing based AI, these programs are trained by being fed a massive amount of artwork to imitate.

So, when a user uploads a selfie and gets a dozen photos that have been “recreated” using AI, the program is imitating the art and artists it was trained on.

This raises some legal questions, which the hosts cover in an episode dedicated to listener mail. A letter from a fan points out that while styles cannot be copyrighted, the person who creates the artwork immediately owns the rights to it. But what happens when someone uses AI to create impersonated artwork?

“Once you’ve made the thing, you own the copyright,” said Matt. “There is no law against impersonating.”

The three hosts go on to say that while at the moment copyright laws favor the individual artist, that could change with the right amount of corporate lobbying. For example, “Mickey Mouse” was supposed to enter the public domain in 1984 and in 2003. However, lobbying by The Walt Disney Company resulted in huge changes to copyright laws. Who is to say a major company won’t do the same to keep their artistic styles from being imitated by someone using AI?

Check out “Is AI coming for you?” and “Listener Mail: Stuff the Military Doesn't Want You To Know, Haunted Planes, 'AI' and Art” if you want to hear more about how artificial intelligence has made our future uncertain. Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know releases new episodes weekly and dive into the stuff most podcasts won’t touch.

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Melissa Forman in the Morning