Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'

What happened

Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against AI image generation company Midjourney. The studios claimed that the San Francisco startup is a "quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism" that "blatantly" copied characters from their most famous franchises, including Star Wars, Marvel and "Frozen."

Who said what

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, is the "first major legal showdown between Hollywood and generative AI," said The Verge. The entertainment industry has an "ongoing love-hate relationship with AI," the BBC said. "Many studios want to make use of the technology but are concerned that their creations could be stolen."

Disney chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez said the company was "bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity," but "piracy is piracy." Midjourney CEO David Holz said on an investor call Wednesday that he "can't really discuss any ongoing legal things because the world isn't cool like that, but I think Midjourney is going to be around for a very long time."

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What next?

The Disney-Universal action joins a "growing number of lawsuits filed against developers of AI platforms," The Associated Press said. The "first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry is underway in London," pitting Getty Images against Midjourney rival Stability AI.