How Wacom is Protecting Digital Art with Blockchain Technology
AI art can be a touchy subject for some, sparking considerable debate within the creative community. While some artists embrace AI as a tool to enhance their work, others are concerned about its implications. The controversy centres on how AI art utilises pattern recognition to 'remix' existing works rather than creating new ones from scratch. This process raises ethical questions about the source of the data used and the legitimacy of the resulting artwork.
Blockchain To The Rescue
Wacom, a leader in digital drawing technology, has introduced "Wacom Yuify," a new service designed to protect your artwork and ensure it remains yours. Yuify uses blockchain technology to protect your digital art and photography from unauthorised AI usage. It provides secure records to prove your authorship and offers an easy-to-use tool for managing licences.
Yuify leverages blockchain's immutable nature and self-sovereign identity (SSI) technology to create a permanent digital record of art ownership. When an artwork is created and exported through Yuify as a JPEG or PNG, an invisible 'micro-mark' is embedded into the image. This mark is non-destructive and doesn't affect the image quality. It permanently links the image to the artist on the blockchain, allowing artists to trace their work using the Yuifinder tool, which verifies authorship by simply dragging and dropping images into the tool.
Additionally, Yuify includes a License Builder tool that lets artists set specific use and reuse terms for their images. These licences are also recorded on the blockchain, making them permanent and transparent. This means anyone who wants to use the artist's work must adhere to the specified terms, and the record of these terms cannot be altered or deleted. This provides a clear and secure way for artists to manage the rights to their artwork.
The End of AI Art?
Wacom CEO Nobutaka Ide clarified that Yuify is not about ending AI art but empowering artists to protect their work. He emphasised that Wacom is not against AI but aims to help artists self-authenticate and manage their creations. While Yuify is not a complete solution to prevent art from being scraped by AI, Ide highlighted that it is a significant step forward. By providing a reliable method to prove authorship and ownership, Yuify helps artists protect their work and assert their rights in an increasingly digital world.
We all know that AI will only continue to evolve and become more powerful. AI-generated art is still in its relatively early stages but is set to become even more mainstream. Apple recently announced its “Apple Intelligence,” which integrates OpenAI’s technology, allowing iPhone users to generate images instantly. DALL-E and Midjourney already produce stunning AI artwork, and OpenAI is soon to release Sora, a tool that will revolutionise the AI art landscape by enabling users to turn text into AI-generated video. As AI-generated art becomes more prevalent and easier to create, it's crucial to have tools like Yuify to protect the original work of artists.
Accessibility
Yuify is not restricted to Wacom tablet users. Artists using any drawing tablet can sign up for the Wacom beta to try out Yuify, making this innovative technology accessible to a wide range of digital artists.
Conclusion
While Yuify may not be the perfect solution against AI art, it is certainly a step in the right direction. By allowing artists to authenticate their work and manage licences securely, Yuify addresses challenges posed by AI and unauthorised use. This innovative use of blockchain technology, which sometimes gets a bad rap, demonstrates its potential for positive applications in solving real-world issues. By providing a secure, immutable record of ownership, Yuify showcases how blockchain can protect the rights of creators and ensure the integrity of digital art.
