How Can Artists Protect Their Work?

Handy Tips

1 month ago• 4 min read

AI, Protection, Safety

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing many industries, and the art industry is no exception. With AI tools becoming more advanced, they are now capable of creating artwork that can look a lot like what human artists create.

However, these tools often replicate existing online images, which means some artists are concerned that their work is being used without permission. As AI continues to grow in popularity, it is important for artists to know how to protect their creations in a landscape where regulations are still evolving.

But the question is, how can they do that?

Read along as we are going to cover some ways for artists to safeguard their work, share tips for safely displaying artwork online, and introduce Fusion (formerly Devoted CG)—a platform that offers protection for digital portfolios.

How to Protect Your Art from AI

As AI tools become more widespread, they often rely on scraping publicly available images to train their algorithms, which can lead to unauthorized use of artwork. By taking a few key precautions, artists can better control how their work is shared, ensure proper credit is given, and reduce the chances of their art being exploited by AI systems. Here are some steps that artists can take to protect their creative work from being used by AI without their consent.

Opt-Out Mechanisms: Many AI companies allow creators to opt their work out of being used in training datasets, although the process can be labor-intensive, particularly if you have a large catalog. This often involves submitting a request along with descriptions and copies of the images you wish to protect.
Using Advanced Tools: Tools like Glaze and Nightshade offer more robust defenses. Glaze makes pixel-level alterations that mislead AI without affecting how humans view the image, effectively “cloaking” it from AI training algorithms. Nightshade goes a step further by “poisoning” the AI training process, inducing errors that degrade the model’s performance when it tries to replicate the style of the poisoned images.
Platform-Specific Policies: Understanding the policies of different platforms can be crucial. For example, Adobe’s Firefly is trained solely on images from Adobe Stock, and there is no opt-out available for contributors to Adobe Stock. This means if you do not want your work used to train Firefly, you should avoid uploading it to Adobe Stock.
Legal and Creative Strategies: Due to the lack of legal clarity around AI’s use of copyrighted materials, artists also need to consider creative strategies. This includes using services that modify images in subtle ways of setting up personal websites in a manner that blocks AI scrapers.
Community and Advocacy: Joining forces with other creators and advocating for clearer regulations and better practices from AI companies and platforms can amplify the push for more respectful and transparent use of artists’ works.

Two Important Things to Remember Before Sharing Your Portfolio Online

Many artists share their work online through digital portfolios, which is a great way to showcase talent. However, the public nature of these portfolios makes them vulnerable to being copied or scraped by AI. While some websites have started banning AI to protect artists, here are the two most important things to note before sharing your portfolio online.

Check the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies	Check for Anti-Scraping Solutions
Always review the terms and privacy policies of websites where you upload your work to understand how your artwork will be used.	Verify if the website uses anti-scraping technologies, such as Cloudflare, to protect against unauthorized data extraction.

Can You Really Protect Your Work 100%?

While there are many tools and methods to help protect your art, it’s difficult to completely stop AI from using your work if it’s online. AI systems often use huge amounts of data from the internet, and some of these tools may not respect watermarks, metadata, or copyright information.

There are also challenges with enforcing copyright rules, especially when the use of your work is subtle or happens in countries with different laws. Even with strong protections, it’s important to recognize that once your work is on the internet, there’s always a risk.

That said, taking proactive steps, staying informed, and choosing secure platforms can still greatly reduce the chances of your work being misused.

Fusion Is a Safe Place for Artists to Share Their Works

To help artists protect their work, Fusion (formerly Devoted CG) is a platform that offers advanced protection for artists seeking to protect their work. With the digital landscape evolving rapidly, and AI’s pervasive role in art becoming a pressing issue, Fusion has stepped up to make sure that artists’ portfolios are not only showcased but also protected from potential misuse.

How Fusion Keeps Your Art Safe

Fusion understands the challenges artists face, including concerns about AI misusing content. To address these challenges and dispel any misconceptions, Fusion has implemented stringent protective measures.

Advanced Cybersecurity and Anti-bot Technology: Fusion incorporates cutting-edge cybersecurity measures and anti-AI scraping technologies that prevent unauthorized scraping and bot activities. This protection is crucial for artists sharing portfolios online, ensuring their work remains secure from AI misuse.
Clear Policy on AI Use: Fusion does not use artists’ work to train AI models or for generative AI purposes. Our focus is on only using AI to support artists such as making it quicker and easier for game developers to find the right artists for their project.
Building Trust Through Transparent Communication: Building Trust Through Transparent Communication: Through regular updates sent to artists, Fusion is dedicated to become the trusted platform for creative professionals to grow in their profession and find amazing projects.
Multi-platform Support and Clarity: Fusion gives you all the details you need about our services so you can make choices about where to show your work. With this information, you can manage your online presence safely and effectively, knowing exactly how your work is protected.
Commitment to Non-Exploitative Practices: Fusion guarantees that your work will not be used to train AI models or by third parties for any purposes. Our platform has strong protections in place to guard your creative rights.

With Fusion’s focus on security, it’s a great platform for artists who want peace of mind knowing their work is being protected.

So What Are the Takes on This?

Although AI can give benefits to the gaming industry, it is also changing how art is created and shared. These changes bring exciting opportunities but also pose challenges for protecting artists’ work. While completely preventing AI from using your artwork may not be feasible, you can significantly reduce the risk.

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