Getty Images tried to sue an AI company for copyright infringement, but its claim was rejected in court.
Getty Images is widely known for the array of stock images it offers, but the multi-million dollar company recently faced a disappointing court ruling when it tried to protect its intellectual property from the company, Stability AI.
Reporting by Reuters investigated the lawsuit, in which Getty Images accused Stability AI of "training" its image generators from copyrighted Getty Images stock pictures. However, the major corporation largely lost its lawsuit, exposing a lack of protection for copyright holders against AI training.
Along with concerns over AI using the intellectual property and copyrighted material of artists and creatives without their consent, the environmental impact of the huge data centers used to power large language models poses a real threat to the planet.
From data centers releasing "forever chemicals" into the atmosphere to the astronomical amount of energy that they require to keep up with the growing demand for AI, it can't be denied that, unless regulation is put into place, AI will continue to have a devastating impact on communities and the planet.
As well as this, data centers use huge amounts of water to cool computer components. One in four people still lack access to clean water, according to the World Health Organization, but data centers use up 560 billion liters of water a year, with this number only set to skyrocket, per research by Bloomberg.
In other ways, AI can be used as a tool to fight for a greener planet. For example, some renewable energy systems could be optimized with the use of artificial intelligence. AI has the ability to measure droughts and map the ideal land to grow crops on, which could help create a more stable food system.
The growth of AI is a complex topic, but what can't be denied is that when a court rules in favor of an AI company, such as in the Getty Images case, the only winners are the big corporations that cause damage to the planet.
Getty said to Reuters that this ruling created a concern that "even well-resourced companies such as Getty Images face significant challenges in protecting their creative works."
"We urge governments, including the UK, to establish stronger transparency rules which are essential to prevent costly legal battles and to allow creators to protect their rights," Getty said.
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