Disney and Universal Enter the Battle Over AI With New Lawsuit
Disney and Universal have filed a historic lawsuit against Midjourney, an AI image generator with millions of users.
In the 110-lawsuit, the Hollywood heavyweights argue that Midjourney pilfered countless copyrighted works to train its software and allow users to create images that “blatantly incorporate and copy Disney’s and Universal’s famous characters.”
Frozen artwork generated by Midjourney A.I. Photo: New York Times.
“Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism,” the companies said in the lawsuit.
The Debate Over A.I.
The latest court battle brings Disney and Universal to the forefront of the ongoing debate about AI software. According to the New York Times, like other startups, Midjourney trains its software with data, images, and videos scraped from the Internet. The creators behind the original content are not compensated.
Walt Disney Company
“We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content,” said Kim Harris, general counsel of NBCUniversal.
The lawsuit, then, could have broader implications for the AI industry.
“We are bullish on the promise of A.I. technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity,” Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s general counsel, said in an email. “But piracy is piracy, and the fact that it’s done by an A.I. company does not make it any less infringing.”
Darth Vader A.I. image generated by Midjourney. Photo: New York Times
As owners of some of the world’s most recognizable characters, Disney and Universal have a unique interest in AI regulations. Now, they are finally joining the fight.
