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Adobe is under fire for allowing AI-generated images mimicking Ansel Adams' style to be sold on its platform, despite its policy against copying other artists.
The Adams estate has repeatedly contacted Adobe since August 2023, urging them to actively monitor and protect intellectual property rights.
Adobe assures it's in touch with the estate and has taken steps against the user who violated their terms.

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Adobe removed the offending content

Adobe faces backlash for selling AI-generated 'Ansel Adams-style' images

By Dwaipayan Roy

Jun 03, 2024

05:42 pm

What's the story

Adobe, the software giant, has come under fire from the Ansel Adams estate, for selling AI-generated imitations of the late photographer's work on its stock image platform. The estate expressed its frustration publicly, stating that Adobe was "officially on our last nerve with this behavior." In response to the criticism, Adobe removed the offending content, and reached out privately to the Adams estate.

Policy dispute

Adams Estate's frustration

Adobe's policy permits AI-generated pictures to be sold on its platform, provided users possess the necessary rights or ownership, over the content they upload. The company explicitly forbids content "created using prompts containing other artist names, or created using prompts otherwise intended to copy another artist." Despite this, the Adams estate revealed that it had been in contact with Adobe multiple times since August 2023 regarding this issue.

Moderation concerns

Adobe's moderation process

Adobe Stock Vice President, Matthew Smith, has previously stated that all "crowdsourced" Adobe Stock assets, are moderated by an experienced team before they are made available to customers. Despite this, the Adams estate urged Adobe to take a proactive approach toward such complaints, and stop putting the burden on individual artists or their estates, to continuously monitor their intellectual property on Adobe's platform. The estate stated, "It's past time to stop wasting resources that don't belong to you."

Resolution efforts

Adobe's response and the estate's expectations

Adobe's Director of Communications and Public Relations, Bassil Elkadi, assured that Adobe is "actively in touch with Ansel Adams on this matter," and that "appropriate steps were taken given the user violated Stock terms." The Adams estate clarified its stance saying, "We don't have a problem with anyone taking inspiration from Ansel's photography, but we strenuously object to the unauthorized use of his name to sell products of any kind." They expressed hope that Adobe's action will be permanent.