NEW GUIDELINES AND INFORMATION
REGARDING AI & NFT RELATED ARTWORKS
Hello Haveners!
We would like to apologize for the delay in the release of the following announcement. We understand that the community has been waiting for updates and more information about where Art Haven stand on the issue of AI related works. We wanted to take our time to conduct thorough research and gather all necessary information before updating our community guidelines and releasing any official statement. Our priority was providing the community with the most accurate and up to date information. In addition, we wanted to provide education on the subject for those who are not yet aware and provide established resources to artists that may help them protect their creative works from being fed into AI generators.
As you all know, AI generated art has taken the internet by storm and has been increasing in popularity in the past few months. Due to the ethical implications of selling AI generated art as well as the potential legal issues that may arise, Art Haven will be prohibiting the sale of all AI generated artwork on our platform. Our main goal has always been to provide a safe environment for artists and art enthusiasts to buy, sell, and showcase artwork. We believe that moving forward with this decision, we will be able to do just that and protect the integrity of our community.
In the second half of this announcement, we will also be discussing another topic of concern: NFTs. As of this moment, Art Haven is not allowing the sale or posting of NFTs that were not created by the original creator on our site. As long as you are the original creator, you may sell and advertise your NFTS. However, this does not mean that we support NFTs; rather, we do not want to prevent those who are interested in earning income through this method.
What is AI generated art?
AI generated art refers to artwork that is created using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, such as machine learning or neural networks. These algorithms were trained on specific datasets to generate a creation based on a given prompt. Unfortunately, these datasets contain a staggering amount of copyrighted and uncopyrighted materials, including artworks, photographs, and personal information. Additionally, all information has been gathered without the owner of the intellectual property's permission. This raises legal and ethical concerns about ownership and originality, as we have no idea how and where the information was collected and originated.
In simple terms, AI models gathers fragments of online datasets and assembles them into a finished product based on an user input. The finished product can and will be used to generate a different creation by another user. You will never have full ownership or control over any AI generated product, despite the commercial license that is offered by some of these sites.
We simply cannot ignore the potential impact that AI generators have on artists and their ability to earn a living. Not only that, we want to encourage originality within our community and to do so we cannot let AI generated art be marketable on Art Haven.
AI Generated vs Art Theft
The main difference between AI generated art and art theft is the method of creation. AI generated art is created by machines through algorithms without direct human interactions. Although users can still feed data into the AI, the process remains automated and free from human actions. The AI generated artwork can be completely abstract at times and difficult to trace back to its data source. On the other hand, art theft involves direct human action, such as tracing, editing, or manipulating original artworks that do not belong to them. Unlike AI generated artwork, art theft can usually be traced back to the original source.
With the rapid advancement of AI generators, it is going to be difficult to determine if a suspicious artwork was AI generated or simply stolen. The following will help you identify if an AI is being used in an artwork:
Lack of Individuality - Every piece looks and feel the same; the art style looks similar to other art styles around the internet; you can't identify the artist's style by looking a it.
Lack of Sketches/Line Art - No sketches or line art visible anywhere in their gallery or posts
Lack of Proper Anatomy - Missing or incorrect limbs; odd numbers of limbs; distorted anatomy; the eyes may appear lifeless and out of place
Lack of Clarity - Random objects; unusual textures; blurry details such as backgrounds, clothing, hair, or other elements.
How to Protect Yourself:
For Artists: We encourage you to offer WIP updates to your clients to help provide reassurance. This will not only help establish your credibility and reputation with your current clients, but also foster a sense of trust for future clients. Another method to help establish your credibility is by providing speedpaint videos once in awhile. You can do this for commissions you feel inspired by or it can be something a client can request. It is important for you as an artist to be able to show the beginning to end stages of your artwork as it helps the buyer see the work progress as well as show of your talent in the process.
Fortunately, there are methods being made to fight against AI models. Even though it is not a permanent solution, artists will have a different approach to protect their work when posting online. A team of researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a tool called Glaze that will add an almost invisible layer on top of an artwork. By doing so, this prevents AI models from learning and mimicking the artists' work and style.
Glaze: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/
Source: https://kotaku.com/ai-art-images-theft-midjourney-stable-diffusion-glaze-1850235184
For Buyers: We encourage you to request WIPs when commissioning an artist, but be mindful of the artist's time and not overload them with constant requests. If you are ordering with a new artist and you are unsure about their authenticity, take the time out to look through their shop, gallery, and any social media accounts. It is important for you to look at their previous orders and examples to determine their credibility before placing an order, especially if it is a new member of the community. If you find something odd or even slightly suspicious, submit a report and a staff member will investigate further on your behalf.
What are NFTs?
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital asset that represents ownership of online collectibles such as art, music, and games. It utilizes blockchain technology for secure transfer of these assets, similar to the technology used for cryptocurrencies. Unfortunately, the process of creating and trading NFTs are energy-intensive due to their "mining" process and require large amounts of data and storage, all of which contribute to significant amount of carbon emissions. Even though efforts are being made to make NFTs more environmentally friendly, such as using renewable energy sources for mining and developing more efficient storage solutions, the environmental impact is still a growing concern. It is unclear how much damage has been done to date.
Despite providing artists with a new way to monetize their digital art, the use of NFTs may worsen existing inequalities within the art community and raise concerns about authenticity and originality. Some are worried that NFTs primarily benefit well-known artists, rather than new and emerging artists. This also raises concerns on how art is valued in the digital world as some NFTs goes for extremely high prices. Although the high price value may not reflect the quality or the artistic merit of the work, it can be a discouragement for emerging artists who would like to make a living with their work. On top that, some believe that NFTs might have a negative impact on traditional artwork as art collectors may shift their focus away from physical art in favor of NFTs, potentially leading to a decline in demand for traditional art.
There have been several instances where artists have had their work "stolen" and created as NFTs without their consent. Unfortunately, it is extremely easy for anyone to upload a piece of artwork as a NFT without actually being the original artist or owning the rights to the work. Those with malicious intent has abuse and will continue to abuse NFTs as a way to make quick money while damaging the original artist in the process.
Art Haven does not promote or endorse NFTs due to their associated dangers and harm they may cause. However, if you are the original creator, you may sell/promote NFTs on the platform. If you are considering whether or not to participate in the NFT market, we encourage you to do a thorough research and consider the environmental and ethical impact before making a decision.
Guidelines Update:
We have updated our guidelines to reflect this recent announcement. You may see this update under: Prohibited Content in the Community Guidelines. https://arthaven.co/rules/#prohibitedcontent
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to post them below or submit a ticket. You can also reach out privately to someone in the leadership team, which consist of: @ Aiko @ Baah & @ Fervent
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