July 12, 2023 – In a surprising development, leading stock image provider Shutterstock announced an extension of its partnership with OpenAI for another six years. This groundbreaking collaboration grants OpenAI permission to utilize Shutterstock’s vast collection of images, videos, and music to train their cutting-edge AI models.
The initial collaboration between Shutterstock and OpenAI began in 2021 when Shutterstock allowed OpenAI to use its image database to train the revolutionary text-to-image model, DALL-E.
Building upon last year’s launch of the “Contributor Fund” program, where artists receive compensation for their work used in training OpenAI’s models, Shutterstock has recently expanded its integration with OpenAI. They now aim to empower users to “edit and transform any image from Shutterstock’s library” and even plan to introduce AI capabilities to their renowned GIF creation platform, Giphy.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Brad Lightcap, the Chief Operating Officer of OpenAI, stated, “We are thrilled to secure licensing for Shutterstock’s high-quality content library. This expanded partnership not only enhances the capabilities of our image models but also unleashes transformative possibilities for brands, digital media, and marketing companies in content creation and ideation.”
Shutterstock has long embraced AI and demonstrated a supportive stance toward its implementation. However, this also means that Shutterstock will inevitably face copyright litigation challenges stemming from AI-generated content. To address this concern, Shutterstock has previously stated its commitment to taking responsibility for any copyright lawsuits arising from user-generated AI images on their platform.
