Why Shutterstock is betting on generative AI for the future of stock images

According to Kingsoft, this allows users to review a PDF document more quickly and find and sort relevant information by asking just a few questions, saving them precious time. According to Kingsoft, workers spend a significant amount of time reading complex documents and then summarising and refining key information – tasks that can now be accomplished by the company’s generative AI tool. One of the main benefits WPS AI offers is access to enhanced features that enable users to simplify certain tasks, such as generating content, summarising documents, analysing data, drafting meeting outlines and generating detailed plans for events. These new capabilities, powered by the WPS AI assistant, are available in WPS’ AI Writer and AI PDF office solutions. Creators whose images were used to train the model originally will also be compensated from a new Contributor Fund launched as part of the expanded partnership.

Since its founding nearly two decades ago, Shutterstock has evolved from a platform with stock images to one that also includes libraries of graphics, illustrations, video clips and music tracks. Recently, the platform has begun to embrace content made with artificial intelligence, moving beyond human-made photos to experiment with images not taken with a traditional camera. If Shutterstock’s images were as important to creating DALL-E as Altman claims, the platform’s contributors may understandably feel aggrieved that their own content is being used to put them out of a job. This is why Shutterstock is also launching its Contributor Fund, which will be used to pay artists, photographers, and designers when content they uploaded to Shutterstock is sold by the company to firms like OpenAI in order to develop generative AI models.

Shutterstock Launches Contributor Fund to Reimburse Content Creators

Shutterstock’s announcement comes at a time when AI is increasingly being used to create artwork. Last year, many AI startups, such as OpenAI, StabilityAI, and Midjourney, released AI tools to generate realistic images. Shutterstock is adding AI-powered text-to-image tech to its Creative Flow tools. To generate an image using AI at Shutterstock, all you have to do is go to Shutterstock Generate, type a keyword or idea in the search bar, and hit the “Generate” button. The app will then create four images based on your instruction, and you can choose which one(s) you want to license and download. Each AI-generated image equals one download from Shutterstock’s subscription plans or image packs.

In just a few seconds, you’ll receive four unique images in a wide range of styles. While you might occasionally find strange images being generated, remember that generative AI is learning all the time. Look at the funky hands as a growing pain that only crops up every once in a while.

Shutterstock Launches AI-Powered Imaging Platform

Now users can create original and unique images by typing a description of their desired image into the tool’s text field. Generative AI has been around for years, but it gained traction this summer after DALL-E helped more than a million users make generative images based on whatever users submitted in the text box. Although the tech hasn’t become ubiquitous in marketers’ toolkits, some have begun exploring and discussing how generative AI might be useful for brands and agencies. Since the first time people realize that AI can create arts, the landscape was soon fraught with potential legal and ethical complications. At the bottom of the page, the site also suggests “More AI-generated images from the Shutterstock library.” The company also said that with the AI tool, users can search for stock, create and publish winning designs, and generate content—all in one place, and that they can do what with confidence.

Yakov Livshits
Founder of the DevEducation project
A prolific businessman and investor, and the founder of several large companies in Israel, the USA and the UAE, Yakov’s corporation comprises over 2,000 employees all over the world. He graduated from the University of Oxford in the UK and Technion in Israel, before moving on to study complex systems science at NECSI in the USA. Yakov has a Masters in Software Development.

AI-generated images will be a way to fill gaps in content that are difficult for humans to create, said Meghan Schoen, Shutterstock’s chief product officer. According to the company’s recent survey of 3,000 customers and contributors, 35% of customers reported experimenting with generating images from text, 18% said they’d used AI for editing and 18% said they’d used AI for sketching images. After announcing its partnership with OpenAI and the plans to leverage Dall-E’s algorithm, Shutterstock has unveiled its own AI image generation tool, which will create images with a few words of description. The fund will “directly compensate Shutterstock contributors” if their IP is used to develop AI-generative models, such as the OpenAI model, through licensing data from Shutterstock’s database.

By combing the power of various AI models on ModelScope, ModelScopeGPT can produce output in texts, images, audio and videos. Alibaba Cloud said the framework can help enterprises and developers perform sophisticated AI tasks across languages, visuals, and speech. Enterprises and developers can leverage ModelScopeGPT for free to access a variety of AI models hosted on its open-source platform ModelScope. For example, a customer can make a request on ModelScopeGPT, which uses a large language model to interpret the request, pick up models stored on ModelScope based on model descriptions, and run the chosen models and report back the outcome. Other image creation platforms have been released globally, such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, but Tongyi Wanxiang will be particularly adaptable to companies’ needs in the world’s second-largest economy.

They use a responsible AI-generation model that rewards artists and has measures in place to prevent biases in their databases. They also continue to research more accurate portrayals of marginalized populations. We aim to provide accurate information at the publication date, but prices and terms of products can change. Conduct your own research to ensure stock photos or services are suitable for your specific needs, as our information focuses on rates, not service. An essential perspective to consider while examining Shutterstock’s decision is the wide array of benefits generative AI can bring to no-code platforms. Tools like no-code platforms, including AppMaster, can tremendously benefit from enhanced image manipulation capabilities and improved creative processes that generative AI provides.

As these legal matters are unlikely to be settled in the near future, companies like Shutterstock must navigate this space responsibly and ethically. Although scraping or buying data to train AI art generators seems to be legal (covered by Fair Use), many experts worry about future challenges and complications. Getty Images, for example, has banned the sale of AI art on its platform because of fears that its inability to copyright the output of these systems will lead to licensing problems for customers. I am an experienced author with expertise in digital communication, stock media, design, and creative tools. I have closely followed and reported on AI developments in this field since its early days. I have gained valuable industry insight through my work with leading digital media professionals since 2014.

As this technology continues to boom, numbers of users are expected to grow, as well. In October 2022, Getty also announced its partnership with Bria to develop Yakov Livshits an in-house image generation API. However, no launch date was specified then but with Shutterstock.AI out in the open, Getty won’t be too far behind.