Key facts
- Midjourney is asking a judge to compel Hollywood studios to reveal their internal AI usage.
- Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. are named in the request.
- The request is part of an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit.
- Midjourney is accused of using copyrighted images to train its AI.
- The studios are seeking to dismiss the lawsuit.
- The studios argue AI-generated art is not copyrightable.
- The studios claim their use of AI is transformative.
AI startup Midjourney has requested that a judge order Hollywood studios Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. to provide details about their internal use of generative AI tools. This demand is a component of an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit. Midjourney is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by artists who allege that the company used copyrighted images without permission to train its AI models. In response to the lawsuit, the studios, who are also defendants, are seeking to have the case dismissed. They argue that AI-generated art is not eligible for copyright protection and that their own use of AI technology constitutes fair use or is otherwise transformative. Midjourney's request aims to gather information that could support its defense by demonstrating that the studios themselves are significant users of generative AI, potentially weakening their claims against Midjourney or establishing a precedent for AI usage in the creative industry. The outcome of this dispute could have significant implications for the future of AI in creative fields and the definition of copyright in the digital age.