Artists issue game over copyright warning over new ChatGPT tool that can mimic their style in seconds
Artists have blasted a new ChatGPT image creator that can mimic their styles — accusing its maker of copyright infringement.
Artists have blasted a new ChatGPT image creator that can mimic their styles — accusing its maker of copyright infringement.
Tech giant OpenAI launched its GPT-4o model this week, hailed by founder Sam Altman as a new high-water mark in allowing creative freedom.
As well as advanced image-generation abilities, the tool has significantly lower safeguards than previous versions, allowing users to create likenesses of celebrities and pictures that resemble copyrighted works in seconds.
It quickly went viral for its ability to churn out high-quality images in the style of Wallace & Gromit, The Simpsons, The Muppets and Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli.
Mr Altman, 39, even changed his own social media profile picture to an AI-generated version of himself in Studio Ghibli style.
OpenAI expects its revenue will triple to £9.8 billion ($12.7 billion) in 2025, but the artists being imitated are unlikely to receive a penny.
British illustrator Dave McKean, whose work includes Batman comics, Alice Cooper album covers and Stephen King book covers, has seen his unique style copied with great accuracy — and believes tools like GPT-4o will destroy the art industry.
Mr McKean, 61, said: Im under no illusion theyll just get more and more able to replicate this stuff.
OpenAI founder Sam Altman says his new image generator is the most advanced yet, and changed his social media profile picture into an AI-generated version of himself in Studio Ghibli style
Users have created images in well-known styles, including that of Wallace & Gromit
Various styles can be imitated by the new ChatGPT tool, including Studio Ghibli, Wallace & Gromit, Rick and Morty and Attack on Titan
Why would anyone pay me to illustrate anything if they can simply tell a computer to do it in my style?
‘AI could do amazing things in science, the study of weather patterns, virology — but it must be kept out of the creative arts.
If the government is determined to remove all copyright barriers, then its game over for artists like me.
He pointed out that AI has no innate ability — it is only able to create art by copying what real-life artists have created.
Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, 84, has previously voiced fierce opposition to AI art, calling it an insult to life itself.
I feel like we are nearing the end of times, he said. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.
Luiza Jarovsky, of the AI, Tech & Privacy Academy, said: Its unclear whether OpenAI has licensing agreements with Studio Ghibli and other creators whose styles are being imitated. To me, it seems unlikely that such deals exist. My bet is that a new wave of copyright lawsuits is coming.
Keir Starmers government wants to exempt Big Tech from copyright law, allowing it to use copyrighted online material to improve AI products. Creators would have to opt out of having their work exploited.
Illustrator Dave McKean believes AI image generators will mean game over for artists like himself
Sam Altman hailed the success of his new ChatGPT image generator, saying its huge success caused graphics processing units to melt
Mr Altman has touted the freedom that GPT-4o gives users, but rights holders fear it will lead to their work being replicated
The Mail is campaigning to protect Britains creative industries from the threat.
Children’s author Chris Bradford is backing the campaign. He discovered that pirated copies of his popular Bodyguard and Young Samurai books had been accessed by AI in November 2023.
‘You can now ask ChatGPT to write a story in the style of Chris Bradford, and it emulates my work very accurately,’ he said. ‘You can ask it to use Young Samurai plots, and it can do this down to the smallest detail.
‘There needs to be recompense. Authors like me are just asking for fairness.’
Mr Bradford, 50, of Hove, East Sussex, added AI chatbots were unable to write convincing short stories a year ago, but can now craft passable works of fiction. At this rate, they may be able to write compelling novels by next year, he believes.
Fellow author Harriet Evans, 50, felt shocked and violated when she asked ChatGPT to ‘write a Harriet Evans novel’ – and it produced a virtual replica of her work, complete with character names and plots.
The title of the story was The Place of Lost Gardens, an amalgamation of two of her bestselling books – A Place for Us and The Garden of Lost and Found.
‘It was like being punched in the guts,’ said Mrs Evans. ‘My job is distilling my thoughts, experiences and emotions from the last 50 years of my life into books. To see a machine emulating all that is horrendous.
‘It not only threatens the livelihoods of thousands of authors, booksellers, printers, publishers and librarians, but the idea of my children growing up reading books generated by a computer is horrific.’
Mrs Evans, a mother of two, said that allowing AI companies to ignore copyright would be ‘incredibly bad for Britain’. She added: ‘I don’t think the government knows quite what’s at stake here.’
OpenAI said it prevents images from being generated in the style of living artists, but permits broader studio styles which people have used to generate and share some truly delightful and inspired original fan creations.
A spokesman said: Our goal is to give users as much creative freedom as possible. Were always learning from real-world use and feedback, and well keep refining our policies as we go.