Adobe has pledged to cover the legal costs for copyright-related issues arising from the use of its AI tool, Firefly. This decision comes as a response to the ongoing copyright controversy surrounding the use of generative AI tools.
Adobe’s Firefly, a generative AI tool integrated into Photoshop through Generative Fill, has been designed with intellectual property considerations in mind. It is programmed not to create designs of brands, celebrities, or famous characters to avoid copyright infringement. However, Adobe acknowledges that the risk of infringement is never zero. In such cases, the company has promised to offer “full indemnification for the content created” through these functions.
Claude Alexandre, Vice President of Digital Media at Adobe, confirmed this move to Fast Company. He stated that this total indemnification for claims is “a proof point that we stand behind the commercial safety and readiness of these features.” The aim is to allow users to use the tool with peace of mind, generating designs that are unlikely to infringe copyright due to the AI’s restrictions.
Adobe’s confidence stems from the fact that Firefly uses stock images that the company owns or public domain image banks. This legal backing, however, will only be available to enterprise customers using Generative Fill in Photoshop or similar tools, not individual users.
Despite this assurance, Adobe has not clarified how much money it will allocate to cover potential lawsuits or whether the plaintiffs will need to sue Adobe or the companies that violate copyright laws.
Adobe’s decision to cover copyright infringement costs is good news for business clients. However, it does not address one of the main complaints from artists who disagree with their designs being used to train AI models or generate images. In response to this, Adobe confirmed that it is “developing a compensation model for Adobe Stock contributors.”
Adobe’s Firefly is currently being integrated into the company’s most popular products. It was recently activated in Photoshop, is currently in the beta phase, and is now also operational in Photoshop Express, the free version of its image editing program.
While the copyright controversy around generative AI continues to deepen, Adobe’s move to cover legal costs for its AI tool users marks a significant step in the industry. It remains to be seen how this decision will influence the broader discourse on AI and copyright law.
