Generative AI Has an Intellectual Property Problem

Generative AI can seem like magic. Image generators such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, or DALL·E 2 can produce remarkable visuals in styles from aged photographs and water colors to pencil drawings and Pointillism. The resulting products can be fascinating — both quality and speed of creation are elevated compared to average human performance. The Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted an AI-generated installation generated from the museum’s own collection, and the Mauritshuis in The Hague hung an AI variant of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring while the original was away on loan.