Key platform updates: Getty Images has added new functionality to both its Generative AI by Getty Images and Generative AI by iStock platforms that enables users to upload custom reference and product images.
- Users can now incorporate their product images when generating AI artwork, particularly useful for creating custom backgrounds
- The platforms support reference image uploads to help maintain specific color palettes, patterns, and textures in the generated output
- These features are available across both Getty’s main platform and its iStock subsidiary
Technical foundation: The AI system is built on a carefully curated and ethically sourced dataset, utilizing Nvidia’s Edify platform as its core technology.
- The AI model is exclusively trained on Getty Images content where creators have explicitly granted permission
- Unlike competitors facing legal challenges, Getty’s approach ensures all training data is properly licensed
- The system deliberately excludes public domain content, scraped data, and pre-existing AI-generated visuals
Creator compensation model: Getty Images has implemented a fair compensation structure that ensures content creators benefit from AI usage of their work.
- Contributors whose work is used in the AI training dataset receive annual payments based on AI revenue
- The payment structure mirrors Getty’s traditional image licensing royalty system
- This approach aims to establish a sustainable ecosystem that respects intellectual property rights
Real-world applications: The platform’s capabilities have already been demonstrated through creative commercial partnerships.
- A recent collaboration with Sony Pictures created “Venomize My Pet,” allowing users to transform pet photos into Venom-inspired creations
- The system maintains strict controls to prevent generation of trademarked brands, products, characters, or identifiable people and locations
Future implications: Getty Images’ approach to AI image generation could establish a new industry standard for ethical AI development in creative tools, potentially influencing how other companies approach AI training data and creator compensation.
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