AI art firm Midjourney has taken a significant step by making its web experience accessible to everyone. The company announced the launch, alongside temporary free trials, on its official social media channels. This move marks a departure from Midjourney’s previous approach, where access was primarily confined to a Discord server and a limited “alpha” website for users generating a specific number of images. The new website allows users to sign up using either Google or Discord accounts, providing a more streamlined experience for both new and existing users.
However, this announcement comes amidst a wave of controversies surrounding the use of artists’ work to train AI models. Earlier this year, a Google Sheet surfaced, revealing a list of artists whose work was used to train Midjourney’s AI program. This list included contemporary and modern artists, renowned illustrators, and even a six-year-old child, sparking widespread backlash.
The controversy intensified when a lawsuit was filed alleging that Midjourney and other AI companies, including Microsoft and Elon Musk’s xAI, had used copyrighted works without permission to train their AI systems.
This lawsuit accused the companies of using a list of over 4,700 artists, including prominent names like Norman Rockwell and Wes Anderson, to train their generative AI models. This ongoing debate has highlighted the ethical and legal implications of AI art generation, prompting discussions around the rights of artists and the responsible use of copyrighted materials in AI development.
While Midjourney has opened its website to the public, it remains to be seen how the company will address the ongoing controversy and navigate the legal challenges surrounding the use of artists’ work in AI training. The future of AI art generation is likely to be shaped by how these issues are resolved and how the industry evolves to address the concerns raised by artists and copyright holders.
