Research Project Outline

  1. Introduction

Topic: Design + Technology

Why is AI able to change the landscape of the art and design industry without consequences or protections to individuals?

Background/Review of the Sources

Generative AI since its inception has pirated from artists and designers without their consent as seen in a recent database leak from Midjourney, a leading generative AI program. Copyright and intellectual property laws have failed to protect artists and designers. Alternatively, artists whose work has been taken by AI have been falsely accused of using AI ultimately losing credibility and reputation. It has even crept into the classroom with students being accused of submitting AI generated work.

Rationale

This topic has just happened to me as I was falsely accused of using AI in my own work at City Tech. I had written a draft research outline for a public speaking course which I had submitted to my professor for feedback. What I received was a screenshot of my work being ran through an AI checker with the results of “75% chance of being AI generated” and no actual feedback. There was some back and forth between the professor and I where I advocated for my work as I felt I was just accused of plagiarism. Ultimately, this is disheartening as a writer and a student and I’ve continued to feel slighted by this professor since. It is a matter of not just integrity but also my credibility and reputation. It is disheartening and makes me feel like I should not be putting in effort or going the extra mile if it causes suspicion and accusations of being AI generated. I am sure I am not the first and will not be the last.

The multibillion-dollar company OpenAI serves to make trillions and change the fundamental shift of humanity through the backs of artists and designers. The drawbacks will fall on the individual as we try to navigate a world where we are unsure of what is AI generated and what is not. Some questions I am examining include:

  • Why is AI choosing to take artists work without their consent?
  • Why do intellectual property laws not extend to artists and designers in the case of AI generated work?
  • Why are there no consequences for the protection of artists and designers in a post AI world?
  • Why does the current artist or designer have to prove their own work to something that has stolen it?

Method and Design

Introduction:

  • What is AI?
  • Explaining the technology of AI
  • Timeline of the rapid growth in AI

Body:

  • Midjourney list of artists work was taken from
  • False accusations within the art and student community of utilizing AI
  • The legality and intellectual property laws surrounding AI generated work

Conclusion:

  • Outlook for designers
  • Inspiring change in protections of artists and designers

References

Tromble, Meredith. “Ask Not What AI Can Do for Art… but What Art Can Do for AI.” Artnodes, no. 26 (2020).

Theobald, Oliver. Generative AI Art for Beginners : Midjourney & the Tactics of Killer Text Prompts. Birmingham, England: PACKT Publishing, 2023.

Wu, Shan. “Development of Graphic Design Based on Artificial Intelligence.” Journal of physics. Conference series 1533, no. 3 (2020).

08, January, and Sudhanshu Singh. “From Van Gogh to Walt Disney to Andy Warhol … and Even a 6-Year-Old Kid: Midjourney Ai’s Massive Art Database Leak Sparks Outcry.” Nasdaq, 8 Jan. 2024, www.nasdaq.com/articles/from-van-gogh-to-walt-disney-to-andy-warhol-…-and-even-a-6-year-old-kid:-midjourney-ais. 

Appel, Gil, et al. “Generative AI Has an Intellectual Property Problem.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Apr. 2023, hbr.org/2023/04/generative-ai-has-an-intellectual-property-problem. 

Cole, Samantha. “‘I Don’t Believe You:’ Artist Banned from r/Art Because Mods Thought They Used Ai.” VICE, 6 Jan. 2023, www.vice.com/en/article/y3p9yg/artist-banned-from-art-reddit. 

Klee, Miles. “She Was Falsely Accused of Cheating with Ai — and She Won’t Be the Last.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 7 June 2023, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/student-accused-ai-cheating-turnitin-1234747351/. 

Kuta, Sarah. “Viral Lists Reveal Artists Whose Work May Have Trained an A.I. Art Generator.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 8 Jan. 2024, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lists-artists-artificial-intelligence-art-generator-180983546/. 

Poritz, Isaiah. “Ai’s Billion-Dollar Copyright Battle Starts with a Font Designer.” Bloomberg Law, 18 Dec. 2023, news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/ais-billion-dollar-copyright-battle-starts-with-a-font-designer. 

Stokel-Walker, Chris. “A Huge Subreddit Suspended a User for Posting AI Art, but the Work Is 100% Human-Made.” BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 6 Jan. 2023, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/chrisstokelwalker/art-subreddit-illustrator-ai-art-controversy. 

Weatherbed, Jess. “Artists Are Making Creative Companies Apologize for Using AI.” The Verge, The Verge, 9 Jan. 2024, www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/24031468/wacom-wizards-of-the-coast-mtg-artists-against-generative-ai. 

Hsu, Tiffany. “What Can You Do When A.I. Lies about You?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/business/media/ai-defamation-lies-accuracy.html. 

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