Legal and Ethical Challenges of AI Drawing

The rapid development of AI drawing technology brings innovation and convenience but also poses complex legal and ethical issues. Key points to consider include:

1. The legal status of AI-generated works:
   • No Copyright Protection: Due to copyright laws in most countries recognizing only humans as rights holders,AI-generated images are not eligible for copyright protection.
   • Avoid Using Unauthorized Images: Generating AI works using unauthorized images may constitute infringement, especially in cases of image-to-image generation.
2. Do Not Claim AI-Generated Images as Your Own Work:
   • AI drawings are best used for inspiration only。
   • The training data for AI-generated drawings cannot be fully verified for its sources and may include creations from artists around the world.
   • If any AI tools were used in the drawing process, it is recommended that a note be added to the work to indicate the tools used.。
3. Try not to ask the AI to mimic the style of contemporary artists or painters.
   • The period of copyright protection for paintings: during the life of the author and 50 years after his/her death.
   • This behavior has not yet been explicitly viewed as an infringement of copyright, but it is often a cause for censure and should be avoided.
4. Actions to Avoid Controversies Leading to Account Suspension or Deletion:
   Prohibitions include creating content that:
   • Depicts or promotes explicit material or sexual exploitation.
   • Encourages self-harm or suicide.
   • Portrays violence, gore, or supports terrorism.
   • Attacks, demeans, or excludes individuals or groups based on attributes such as race, gender, religion, age, or other characteristics associated with systemic bias or marginalization.
   • Intentionally deceives or harms the public interest.
   • Avoid using copyrighted material to produce similar or derivative works.
5. Platform Moderation Mechanisms:
   • Most AI tools have built-in moderation systems and rely on community reporting and official oversight. Users should familiarize themselves with the terms of use to avoid violations.

How Should We View AI Drawing?

1. Is AI Drawing Considered Art?
   • "If photography is art, why isn’t AI drawing?"
     Just as cameras are tools for photography, AI is a tool for drawing. Art lies not only in the method of creation but also in the process of turning ideas into reality.
   • Must art always be created by human 'hands'? vs. Is turning human 'thoughts' into 'reality' the essence of art?
2. Innovation or Plagiarism?
   • AI combines past works to create new content, much like artists drawing inspiration from history?
   • Though AI relies on past data, each creation is uniquely generated through vast combinations and computations.
   • "Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas." — Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist
   • Creativity is just connecting things. — Apple co-founder Steve Jobs
   • Good artists copy. Great artists steal.— Famous painter Picasso
3. Will AI Replace Artists?
   • AI cannot replace human emotions and soul, which give art its life.
   • AI is not a threat but a new tool for artists. By embracing it, we can create more diverse forms of art.
   • Rather than fearing AI’s impact, artists can use it to push the boundaries of creativity.
4. How to Face the Impact of AI
   • Welcome AI with an open mind.
   • Instead of resisting change, embrace it and become pioneers of future artistic creation.
   • 「Everything flows." (Panta Rhei), meaning the only constant truth is change itself. — Heraclitus, Ancient Greek Philosopher