AI image generation remains controversial for several reasons, and at the top of the list is the issue of copyright. Several text-to-image generators have been trained using images scraped from the web without permission, and some are able to reproduce, or at least attempt to recreate, the style of specific artists, who receive no credit nor royalty.
Tess promises to be different. It’s the first AI image generator I am aware that this is presented as a direct collaboration with artists. It specifically aims to copy and reproduce the style of its collaborating artists and pays them royalties when their style is used.
Tess came out of beta this week, and it’s billed as the “first ethical AI image generator.” If this phrase sounds familiar, that’s because it was used a lot during the launch of Adobe Firefly Last year. However, there is a key difference in Tess’s approach.
Adobe argues that Firefly is more ethical than Midjourney, SLAB and Stable Diffusion because it was trained on images licensed from Adobe Stock, where contributors receive at least some form of compensation. It also includes content identifying information specifying that the images were produced by AI. But its ethical character has been called into question. Some Adobe Stock contributors have complained about not being able to unsubscribe, and it has been pointed out that Adobe Stock itself contains AI-generated imagesincluding images made with Midjourney.
What sets Tess apart is that it is designed to specifically copy the work of collaborating artists through a series of dedicated individual models. Artists are nominated, they license their work and receive royalties when their style is used. At launch, there are 15 artists on board, including David O’Meara And José Elgueta.
Tess was developed by San Francisco-based Kapwing, an online video editor founded by Julia Enthoven And Eric Lu, who previously worked on Google Image Search. It currently offers 22 different models, each refined using 10 to 20 works created by a particular artist in a consistent style. Users can choose the style they want and use text prompts to generate the images they want. Tess then splits the subscription revenue 50/50 with participating artists based on the number of generations using their model(s). Tess says she has paid over $15,000 in royalties so far.
As for customers, Image Builder is aimed at creators, journalists, media entrepreneurs, and small business marketers. Customers pay a basic subscription of $20/month and get access to built-in tools for editing images and generating quick ideas.
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, curated by editors.
Tess says it’s also the first AI image generator that gives artists the choice of how they want to use generative AI. Contributors can create a private model to explore the technology, or choose to list it on the public marketplace to earn royalties. Tess provides award guidelines which aim to ensure that artists get credit and visibility when images generated using their models are shared, and customers can also contact artists directly through their profile information.
So, is it too good to be true? Well, I’ve already noted that each model is trained on only 10-20 works from the collaborating artist. The model behind all of this is Stable Diffusion, the popular open source AI image generator whose developer, Stability AI, is being sued by artists for alleged copyright infringement.
Enthoven says she sees no contradiction. She says Tess has protections in place to prevent her models from producing images in an unlicensed artist’s style and that the additional training on images from specific artists means the results are significantly transformed from that. that Stable Diffusion would produce alone.
That might not be enough to convince some that a truly ethical AI image generator could one day exist. That said, Tess seems to offer a way for artists to at least get something out of it, both financially and in terms of exposure. The debate for those considering joining the company will be whether it will open a new avenue for their work or risk losing clients who might choose to use their AI model instead of trusting them with original work.
Andrew McGuireartist and muralist whose work was used to form a model called All of ussaid: “Tess provides a great opportunity to use my work in ways I couldn’t imagine and allows me to be part of the AI conversation, without being left out,” said
The artist Ger Jorge said: “I think AI is here to stay, and that it is counterproductive to oppose something that will remain a part of our future, and that its greatest virtue is to democratize in a one way or another art and its creation. Just as the person who tightened the screws was affected by the arrival of an automatic tool, surely this person had the power to become the one who repaired that tool when it broke down. Today, we, the artists, can educate this intelligence so that anyone with artistic desires can carry it and Tess, in addition to moving this project forward, which is not an easy task, fills the most important part. important, which is to give credit and participate effectively to the artist.”
For more news on the art of AI, see AI optical illusion generator created by researchers at the University of Michigan.
