Universal Pictures Introduces No-AI Training Disclaimers; Midjourney Asserts Fair Use

Universal Pictures has announced that it will begin adding disclaimers to its films stating that the works have not been trained on artificial intelligence. This declaration occurs as Midjourney, an AI image generation company, maintains its position that its utilization of publicly available data constitutes “fair use.”

The disclaimers, set to appear at the end of films, aim to reassure audiences that Universal’s creations are not reliant on AI. This move reflects growing concerns within the entertainment industry regarding the use of AI and its potential impact on the intellectual property rights of artists.

Conversely, Midjourney is defending its business model. The company asserts that training AI models on large datasets of publicly available images falls under fair use, a legal doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. However, this claim is under increasing legal scrutiny, as many artists and creators feel that using their work to train AI without consent infringes upon their rights.

This issue raises significant questions about the future of AI in the creative industry. Will AI be capable of replacing human artists, or will it simply be another tool in their arsenal? It remains to be seen how the courts will resolve these legal disputes, but it is clear that AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the entertainment industry.