The fight for open source AI
Hello, everyone. I was on the fence about talking about this subject because I was still weighing in all the news updates.
For those of you that aren't informed about the AI image genre, a few days ago AI for the Open Source community took a huge setback when Stability Ai released their shiny new SD3 model. This model was marketed as the next breakthrough for StabilityAI in terms of graphical power and advance features in text.
A very enticing new model was exactly what many were looking for after many were stumbling between SD 2.0 and SDXL.
However, the bad news about the shiny new SD3 is that it arrives as a wolf in sheep's clothing, when just like before, anybody could download the models for free; but this time, if you wanted to actually own your images or use them commercially then you would need to upgrade to a payment plan (source current sd tos unless changed).
For being a company that stood next to the Open Source community and championed over the community's progress in refining their AI technology, it seems now Stability AI wants to turn their backs on the Open Source community by pulling yet another corporate iron curtain on their services by making SD3 available to download for free at the cost of your ownership agreement(source current sd tos unless changed).
Now many in the AI discord community, namely those that are behind the scenes employees or partners for StabilityAI, have attempted to calm the bad reception with SD3 by saying many people's assumptions have been blown out of proportion on the news of the license agreement.
But the fact remains, that no matter how the TOS in the license gets rearranged, StabilityAI has proven from here on out they will stand behind their new limited restrictions and payment redesigns--following in the steps of many other AI companies. This is not going away no matter how much people want to object about arbitrary ifs and buts in the license.
Which, if you want the brief of the actual license restrictions everyone is upset about and stabilityai reps are attempting to call "blown out of proportion," is this: -6k image generation limit per month, a derivative output ownership against users, a commercial limitation and required payment plan, an ongoing censorship within the SD3 base model, and all the other miscellaneous problems in its image generation. but hey, at least it can do text right? (source current sd tos unless changed).
THE PROBLEM: All these companies are trying to copyright /privatize public AI databases.
With all these restrictions affecting its now "consumer" audience, how can we expect any future 4B and so forth models to be different in terms of not being absorbed into their new license? Plus, where does StabilityAI get the gall to turn another AI model into their personal trademark? Aren't the bases of OpenAI databases rooted in the public resource?
This is all a very scummy move for a company that's suppose to NOT be behind an AI gatekeeping culture in their previous history of working alongside open source communities.
The sneaky tactic in all of this is how often StabilityAI simply uses links to other websites in order to promote their payment plans.
Such as in the case with Huggingface. People are able to right now view all the juicy features about SD3 and its image capabilities, technical specs, and be able to download the SD3 model on Huggingface, for free --yet hide the fact that if you download this model you have to also sign up for payment plan if you want to use commercially.
This is how StabilityAI and others like them hide their Open Source extortion. They allow other websites to offer a free download for their paid subscriptions rather than just hosting the model on their own site, side by side to their payment plans.
Imagine if Midjourney or Adobe did something like this to the Open Source community that they allegedly support. Offering other websites to download their "free" models and entrapping as many users as possible in the legal license after.
If you go to StabilityAI's website right now, they even have their own Core Models that simply redirect you to Huggingface instead. They trap unsuspecting people by freely being able to download their models (mimicking OpenSource) but choose to hide their sneaky payment plan rates on their own website.
Now, others can say "Why don't you support a company you have known for a while in their new opportunity to make some bread to support themselves?"
My answer. Why now? Why not when they first launched? Why move from Open Source to Private Enterprise? Midjourney, Adobe are all paid options, but they aren't claiming to be partners with the AI community to train and improve their models and features.
If Stability as a company is now reaching for financial support, then they are overstretching on their licensing holds on XL, SD3 and all the other AI tools they have on Huggingface. They could have just stuck with SD3 license or a one time payment, but they went straight for the Enterprise Package plans, burning bridges overnight with the public AI community.
A two face shifter is what Stability is. Imagine if Nexus mods did the same by turning from a Modding hosting site to a Basic, Pro, and Premium Enterprise plan in order to profit from other people's mods.
StabilityAI could have set up a donation system, could have rewarded their login followers, could have released exclusive perks and products, but no. They went full corporate subscription plan and tyrannical ownership of its users, which is NOT what an Open Source partner does.
Now that they are in this payment plan, good for them. They are now happily on the same competition as another in the ratrace photo above. Now their community support will be exclusively with people that come to StabilityAI for the plan deals. It will be sad to think of all those that will release trained models and features now to a company that wants your monthly and your free labor to their SD3 model.
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But, let's just remember that this is nothing new. In the couple of years that AI has been booming there are plenty of companies and websites that have turned to a paid subscription policy. And that's fine. It mean's the market has a wide range of usability when it comes to AI technology.
THE PROBLEM is that more and more companies are beginning to rapidly turn away from their OPEN SOURCE roots and head onto exclusive AI monopoly ownership.
In an alternative timeline, Blender would be 39$ a month, Polyhaven 15$ per texture, and Gimp will demand 20% indefinitely to use their services.
It's not a surprise that sooner or later a company will develop enough to sell their own AI product, but how does this affect the open source joe? Well, when more and more companies are succeeding in their legal safety nets in using AI technology, higher and higher walls are being left to the OPEN SOURCE community in our right to also have and use AI technology.
The fact is, Stability pulled a Unity over night. They meant what they said. Now they reap the reception. There is open source AI and its sad few want to support them. These companies want to take the AI public database and then say "you cant have it for free, but we can, and well charge you for it."
That's why I encourage everybody to support Open Source more than they support the idea of a 20$ convenient payment plan for permission to use and commercialize their AI derivatives.
$20 is selling more than your complicity, it's a huge loss for Open Source.
I supported StabilityAI for the AI open source community partnership. I don't support SD3 if they want to follow the AI company gatekeeping culture.
These big tech companies have been using our photos, our names, even images we upload on our own websites into their google, yahoo, bing, facebook, databases to train AI.
And now when the OpenAI models are released, now companies want to say "I legally purchased your data. I want this AI model I trained on your content as it belongs to me, the investor."
No, if you're an artist out here that have been LONG against AI, now is the time to be heard. I've always said, if you are an artist, then join the Open Source AI community where you can actually be in control of your AI outputs and inputs. Not like with paid companies like Adobe, Midjourney or Dall-E that who knows whats under the hood of those models. They could have trained your newest artwork in their latest update and you'll never know!
With Open Source, the public is given back our right to use our internet database content as we see fit.
The uncertainties about AI copyright are now clear. AI copyright belongs to the public first and NOT just behind the big tech AI gatekeeping subscription licenses.
It should be a crime to say core AI models have to be charged to you or that you have to forfeit your ownership to any tech giant monopoly.
AI copyright belongs to the public. If companies want to sell their exclusive products and services, then by all means! let them. But don't even think of merging public OPEN SOURCE to a single company's ownership. Not Google, not StabilityAI, not Adobe, not even Midjourney or Dall-E.
I know that before I said that not reading a websites TOS means tough luck for your permission to use your art in AI training, but now its no longer about consent to train. Now It's about who is going to own the AI models that were trained on your art? Will it be you, the Open Source joe. Or will it be any of these big tech companies?
If you want to support any company and pay their reasonable payment plans, then by all means.
But let's not also forfeit our individual public rights for AI simply because every other company is taking our Open Source options away!
What would become of the future of AI if only StabilityAI and Adobe had the legal right to create, publish and sell using our content? The future where the public individual is fined and dmca striked for simply publishing AI themselves? This is why Open Source needs to be remembered in our current time when many companies are turning into payment walls.
OPEN SOURCE is the bases of AI technology. The freedom to create and copyright AI remains in the Public Domain, not just in Adobe's license or any other companies backyard.
