TL;DR:
- Chinese artists boycott Xiaohongshu, a major social media platform, accusing it of using their artwork without permission to train its AI image generation tool, Trik AI.
- Snow Fish, an illustrator, first raised the issue, leading to widespread protests within the artist community and online.
- This controversy emerged as China introduced regulations for generative AI, marking one of the first government moves to regulate AI’s impact on intellectual property.
- Xiaohongshu and Trik AI have not publicly addressed the allegations, despite numerous requests for comment.
- The artists demand a public apology and highlight concerns about the unauthorized use of their work by AI tools.
- Similar protests against AI art generation have occurred globally, reflecting a broader debate on the role of AI in the arts and entertainment industry.
Main AI News:
In August, a Chinese illustrator, known by her Xiaohongshu username Snow Fish, raised a powerful objection against Xiaohongshu, one of China’s major social media platforms. Snow Fish accused the platform of surreptitiously employing her artwork to train their AI tool, Trik AI, without obtaining her consent. This incident has sparked outrage within the Chinese artist community and led to a widespread boycott of the platform.
Trik AI specializes in generating digital art in the style of traditional Chinese paintings, and although it remains in the testing phase, it has not yet been officially launched. Snow Fish’s revelation came to light when her friends shared posts on Xiaohongshu featuring artwork that closely resembled her distinctive style: sweeping brush-like strokes, vibrant bursts of red and orange, and portrayals of natural landscapes.
In a post that quickly gained traction among her followers and fellow artists, Snow Fish confronted Trik AI, demanding an explanation for the uncanny resemblance between her original works and the AI-generated images. This controversy emerged shortly after China introduced regulations for generative AI, positioning itself as one of the first nations to address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, including concerns over job displacement, national security, and intellectual property rights.
Trik AI and Xiaohongshu, with their combined 260 million monthly active users, have remained tight-lipped regarding the materials used to train their program and have refrained from making any public statements regarding the allegations. Despite repeated requests from CNN for a response, both companies have maintained their silence.
Snow Fish did receive a private message from the official Trik AI account, where they admitted to using her art to train their AI program and pledged to remove the contentious posts. However, Snow Fish remains steadfast in her demand for a public apology. Her outcry has ignited a wave of online protests in China against the creation and utilization of AI-generated images. Numerous artists have joined the cause, expressing their grievances over similar unauthorized usage of their work.
On Xiaohongshu, hundreds of artists have displayed banners proclaiming “No to AI-generated images,” while a related hashtag has garnered over 35 million views on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
This boycott in China unfolds amidst a global discourse on the role of AI in the arts and entertainment industry, mirroring debates in the United States where writers and actors have disrupted film and television production to protest against studios’ increasing reliance on AI.
Many of the artists participating in the Xiaohongshu boycott are advocating for more stringent regulations to safeguard their creative work online, echoing concerns shared by artists worldwide regarding the protection of their livelihoods.
As the AI race intensifies, tech giants in China are rapidly advancing their generative artificial intelligence capabilities. Besides Trik AI, Xiaohongshu has introduced a feature called “Ci Ke,” allowing users to create content using AI-generated images.
For artists like Snow Fish, the issue lies not in the technology behind AI but in the unauthorized and uncredited use of their creative works. Numerous AI models are trained using images of artists’ work obtained from the internet without their consent or compensation.
Zhang, another Chinese illustrator who has joined the boycott, criticized these practices as shameless and highlighted the lack of effort on the part of these companies to create original content. He warned that AI-generated images could become as ubiquitous and disposable as plastic bags, with tech leaders prioritizing profits over artists’ rights.
Tianxiang He, an associate professor of law at City University of Hong Kong, pointed out that the use of AI-generated images raises fundamental questions about the definition of “real” art and how to preserve its intrinsic value. Similar boycotts against AI image generation tools have emerged globally, including legal battles such as Getty Images’ ongoing lawsuit against Stable Diffusion.
Despite the rapid development of AI image generation tools, there is currently no global consensus on how to regulate these practices. Many of these tools are developed by tech giants with vast databases, allowing them to operate largely unchecked by legal constraints.
While China has introduced regulations for AI, experts believe that the focus may be on centralizing power among tech giants and securing a competitive edge in the global tech race rather than safeguarding individual rights.
The regulations have been described as a broad framework lacking specific control mechanisms for data mining. Stricter legislation could have significant repercussions in an already sluggish national economy, making it a complex issue that requires careful consideration.
Conclusion:
The boycott by Chinese artists against Xiaohongshu underscores the growing concern over the unauthorized use of artistic creations by AI tools. This highlights the need for stronger regulations and ethical considerations in the development and application of AI in the creative industry. As AI continues to play a significant role in the art world, addressing these concerns is essential to protect artists’ rights and maintain the integrity of creative works.
