‘Getty Images’ files lawsuit against artificial intelligence company over misuse of images

Getty Images Monday filed a complaint against Stability AI, an open artificial intelligence platform, for allegedly misusing the stock photo company’s images without its permission.

The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, states that Stability AI copied more than 12 million images from Getty Images’ collection, including its captions and metadata as part of its efforts to build a competing business which provides free and open access to artificial intelligence for the public.

The complaint states that Stability AI copied the intellectual property from Getty Images without the company’s permission or compensation for the property. Stability AI then allegedly used the text-to-image model Stable Diffusion with Getty Images’ image likeness and descriptions to create computer-synthesized images that resembled those of Getty Images’.

Getty Images seeks to recover monetary damages it suffered as a result of Stability AI’s use of the images to support its own business model and growth.

The lawsuit follows two other cases against artificial intelligence companies. Getty Images brought forth a similar lawsuit in the  United Kingdom, and a group of artists filed a class action lawsuit in California.