Navigating the legalities of AI and art

When AI-generated ‘avatars’ from Lensa AI populated our feeds in the last couple of weeks, many were pleasantly surprised at how flattering the app had made them look, enhancing their best side profiles, with low-angle shots set to the backdrops of spaceships and gardens. “According to it, if you are generating derivative works from an artist, you need to take permission from the artist,” says Sandhya Surendran, a media and entertainment lawyer based in Bengaluru. “We have Bengaluru-based Beethoven that pays artists so that their works can be fed into their AI model,” says Surendran. “The who-copied-from-whom lens is sort of reductive and I don’t think it defines the human experience in any meaningful way.” Safeguarding creativity Jon Lam, a Canada-based digital artist, moodboard storyteller and animator — who has worked with various clients including Marvel’s Miss Marvel — says artists must engage with their local politicians to seek remedies and find ways to protect their art from unethical usage by AI. “Now that the media has made us all aware of how AI will affect not just artists but also lawyers and politicians, there is a need to engage with all stakeholders before major companies start lobbying for their products.” On an individual level, how does an artist who just shares their artwork on Instagram protect themselves?