Core Viewpoint - Getty Images has positioned itself as a staunch defender of artists' rights in the ongoing AI copyright disputes, emphasizing the high costs associated with litigation against AI companies [2][3] Group 1: Getty Images' Actions and Statements - Getty Images banned users from uploading AI-generated images in 2022 and later launched a socially responsible image generator while suing an AI company for not compensating artists [2] - CEO Craig Peters revealed that Getty has spent "millions of dollars" on a copyright lawsuit against Stability AI, highlighting the prohibitive costs of pursuing every infringement case [2] - Getty filed a lawsuit against Stability AI in 2023, claiming that the company used over 12 million images from Getty's library without permission to train its model [2][3] Group 2: AI Companies' Defense and Industry Implications - AI companies argue that their practices of scraping images for model training fall under "fair use," which is protected by copyright law [3] - Stability AI and other AI firms assert that requiring them to pay licensing fees would hinder technological innovation and the growth of the AI industry [5] - Peters criticized this stance, arguing that rights holders should not bear the high costs of litigation against claims that paying artists would stifle innovation [5] Group 3: Public Reactions and Broader Context - The comments from Peters coincided with backlash against Nick Clegg, former Meta global affairs head, for reiterating the AI industry's argument that requiring artist consent would harm the sector [5][6] - Critics have drawn parallels between the current arguments of AI companies and past defenses used by illegal file-sharing platforms like Napster [6] - Getty has submitted recommendations to the Trump administration, urging it to reject AI companies' proposals for exemptions that would allow them to avoid paying artists for their work [7][8]