DALL-E by OpenAI Extends Training Partnership with Shutterstock for an Additional Six Years

Shutterstock has announced an extension of its partnership with OpenAI for an additional six years, granting the AI company continued access to Shutterstock's extensive repository of images, videos, music, and metadata for model training purposes.

This collaboration between the stock image platform and OpenAI initially commenced in 2021, marking the point at which Shutterstock permitted OpenAI to utilize its image database for training its text-to-image model, DALL-E. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, emphasized the critical importance of this partnership in advancing DALL-E's training capabilities. Notably, last year, Shutterstock introduced a "Contributor Fund" to compensate artists whose work contributed to the training of OpenAI's models.

During this period, Shutterstock also integrated OpenAI's image generation technology directly into its website. Simultaneously, the platform prohibited the sale of AI-generated images that did not originate from its built-in DALL-E tool. Now, Shutterstock is expanding its integration efforts and intends to empower users with the ability to "edit and transform any image in the entire Shutterstock library." Additionally, Shutterstock has plans to introduce AI features to Giphy, the GIF creation platform it acquired from Meta earlier in the year.

Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer of OpenAI, expressed satisfaction with the extended collaboration, highlighting its potential to enhance the capabilities of image models. Moreover, this collaboration is poised to enable brands, digital media enterprises, and marketing firms to unlock new possibilities in content creation and ideation.

In contrast to some other image-sharing platforms like Getty Images, Shutterstock is embracing AI technology and the associated challenges it presents. Concerns have been raised by artists about the potential misuse of their work in training AI models. Getty Images addressed these concerns by imposing a complete ban on AI-generated content on its platform. Furthermore, Getty Images filed a lawsuit against Stability AI, the company behind the AI art tool Stable Diffusion, alleging the "unlawful copying and processing of millions of images protected by copyright" on its website.

While Shutterstock's partnership with DALL-E may lead to an expansion of its image library, it does not necessarily resolve the complex legal issues surrounding AI-generated content, leaving the platform in a potentially uncertain legal gray area.