Microsoft has adjusted its AI image generator tool following concerns raised by a viral social media trend where users crafted realistic Disney film posters featuring their dogs. This trend shed light on broader copyright issues within the industry.
The Bing Image Creator tool by Microsoft displayed Disney’s logo in the illustrations, which were then shared on TikTok and Instagram. These images depicted users’ pets in the style of Disney’s Pixar studio movie posters, prompting influencers to encourage others to create their versions using the AI tool.
In response to the raised concerns, the term “Disney” was initially blocked from the image generator, citing policy violations. Reports suggest that Disney raised concerns regarding potential copyright or intellectual property infringement.
Subsequently, the tool was modified to allow the term “Disney” again. However, the AI-generated images still bear resemblance to the original Disney images, such as in the Brave movie poster example. While the text and logo in these AI-generated pictures resemble the genuine logo, they may contain misspellings or blurred fonts, as seen in the dog-themed poster.
Legal expert Andrew White from Mathys & Squire noted that replicating the Disney logo constitutes trademark infringement. He highlighted the unresolved issues concerning whether the AI models were trained on Disney’s content and if copyrighted material was being reproduced.
Microsoft previously committed to assuming legal responsibility for commercial customers facing copyright complaints due to AI-generated content in its software. Similar protections have been offered by other tech giants like Adobe and OpenAI utilizing generative AI technology.
Social media influencers were guiding their followers to input terms like “a Disney Pixar-inspired movie poster” to create images incorporating Disney’s logo and design elements.
Instagram user Nicola Bennett, managing an account for her Italian Greyhound, shared her positive experience creating Disney-style images quickly using the AI tool. However, she acknowledged the potential impact on artists who create such content manually.
Microsoft refrained from commenting on commercial matters but emphasized ongoing refinements to their safety systems. They also mentioned that individuals and organizations could request limitations on image creation associated with their names and brands.
Disney chose not to provide a comment on the matter.
This incident reflects a broader issue where copyrighted materials are used in AI product development without consent or compensation, leading to lawsuits and concerns about the data used to train these AI models. Getty Images, for instance, is suing Stability AI for allegedly utilizing its images to train its AI model.
