Shutterstock and OpenAI expand partnership
The partnership between Shutterstock and OpenAI has been in place since 2021, with Shutterstock images serving as training data for the DALL-E text-image model. A new contract extends and expands this access.
Shutterstock is a creative platform that offers images, videos and 3D models. The company has now expanded its existing partnership with OpenAI, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence. In future, platform users will be able to have new images generated automatically and also edit any Shutterstock image using text instructions.
The contract between OpenAI and Shutterstock is now set to run for six years. It extends the training data for OpenAI models to include additional content and its metadata. In return, Shutterstock receives priority access to the latest OpenAI technology and may continue to integrate the generative text-to-image tool called DALL-E directly into the Shutterstock platform.
We are pleased to be able to licence Shutterstock's high-quality content library. This expanded collaboration not only enhances the capabilities of our image models, but enables brands, digital media and marketing organisations to unlock transformative opportunities in content creation and ideation.
There is also an image editing option. This allows you to edit all images in the Shutterstock library. This works in the same way as creating images using the AI tool. You write prompts - so-called description texts - to change the existing images with instructions. Suppose you want the figure to be slightly larger or further away, then you write this as a prompt and receive a modified version of the template. You can see what else is possible in the following video.
Shutterstock and OpenAI are also working together to make the AI functions accessible via the GIPHY platform acquired by Meta. The expansion of the partnership is just one part of what Shutterstock has done in the field of AI so far. Earlier this year, the company launched the AI Image Generator, a tool based on DALL-E. It enables users to create customised images.
Source: Shutterstock
With the Contributor Fund, Shutterstock has found a way to compensate artists. If their works are used for training in generative technology, they receive a fee. New works also generate licence fees.
In addition to the partnership with OpenAI, which has been running since 2021, Shutterstock is also working with other major partners on generative AI tools. For example, with NVIDIA, Meta and LG. Shutterstock's extensive database makes the company almost unrivalled when it comes to training AI models. Nevertheless, Shutterstock does not allow AI-generated works on the platform. You are therefore allowed to upload self-created works on the platform, but not those that you have created with tools.
Other platforms also do not allow you to upload AI-generated content. For example, the Getty Images platform has reacted. There, such content has been completely banned due to negative comments from artists. Getty Images has also sued Stability AI. The company is behind the AI art tool Stable Diffusion. The allegation is that Stability AI copied and processed millions of copyright-protected images.
Cover photo: Michelle Brändle
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.