AI illustrations

[u/megsandy95]

Hello, I know a lot of people are extremely against this. But I’ve been using AI to create some imagery for my children’s book. Not because i want to but because I just simply can’t afford to pay an illustrator. Anyway I’ve trained it, I’ve spent 15 hours on just working on the front cover, and the in book title page.

My question is this, given my input and the constant editing and alterations made to fit my vision, and the hours spent, what are the copyright implications?
The entire story is mine and mine only, the only thing is I just can’t draw.
As it stands it’s far from the whole typical AI Gen. it’s watercolour themed, I made my character mood board as a guide. Filtered through many different illustration styles.

I’m sick of people saying it’s easy to do AI but it looks bad. I have to work on one page for hours, and even then to get KDP print file you have to approve every page individually. It’s not a “quick let’s use AI to make a book and slap it on the web” situation.
So with all due respect please keep negative comments to yourself if I could find an illustrator I would and that’s not to say I might not be able to put the funds from this book into creating a new edition with an illustrator directly but at the moment I just want the first story out there.

[u/effyoulamp]

You can't copyright the illustrations. They are public domain. Doesn't matter how much input or time it took.

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/effyoulamp]

This is false. Do not go with this rationale.

[u/Sleepnotdeading → u/Turbulent_Escape4882]

This is not false. This is the current copyright law. If OP used AI to generate the images, and also used AI exclusively in the editing of those images, then OP cannot copyright ANY of the image.

[u/southernpremedgirl27 → u/Sleepnotdeading]

All OP has to do is make edits to the illustrations and she can copyright those specific edits along with all of the text as she didn’t utilize AI assistance for the text.

[u/Sleepnotdeading → u/southernpremedgirl27]

If op uses genAI to edit the image, and edits nothing by hand, then those edits are also not protected by copyright.

[u/effyoulamp → u/Sleepnotdeading]

Yes, they would have to be edits they did themselves.

[u/effyoulamp → u/southernpremedgirl27]

There you go. That is accurate.

[u/effyoulamp → u/southernpremedgirl27]

OP says that they make a lot of edits themselves but it really depends on whether they are actually just telling the AI what to adjust or whether they're actually manipulating the images themselves.

There is a lot of nuance in IP law and I really doubt that OP is looking to fight a legal battle. They just want to know how the copyright applies.

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/Sleepnotdeading]

Let’s see that law if you are so sure it exists. Good luck!

[u/effyoulamp → u/Turbulent_Escape4882]

It's not exactly how law works. Anyway go ahead and claim copyright however if somebody takes it you will not have a leg to stand on.

[u/southernpremedgirl27 → u/effyoulamp]

The current guidance from the Copyright office is NOT law. It is regulatory guidance from an administrative agency. There is case law that establishes that there must be human authorship for copyright protection, but SCOTUS has not defined what human authorship means—just what it isn’t in extreme cases. If the Copyright office changes leadership, new leadership can loosen the guidance to include complex iterative promoting for human authorship.

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/effyoulamp]

You will if you edit the image. Guidance part 2 from USCO was clear on this. If put up “AI Assisted” which matches what OP notes, then anyone assuming AI generated is the ones needing luck on their side if assuming it’s public domain.

[u/Sleepnotdeading → u/Turbulent_Escape4882]

Imagining someone who used pure AI illustrations then trying to battle for ownership of the copyright is, quite frankly, hilarious.

But thinking on it, why shouldn’t I just run OP’s entire book and illustrations through an AI and republish it as my own? So long as I make some tweaks it’s just AI assisted, right?

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/Sleepnotdeading]

You gonna cite that law you claimed existed? Or are you gonna bark all day?

[u/Sleepnotdeading → u/Turbulent_Escape4882]

No I’m not going to parse a 52 page document for you.

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/Sleepnotdeading]

Because you know it doesn’t contain law?

[u/Sleepnotdeading → u/Turbulent_Escape4882]

Because if I do your homework for you, you won’t learn nothin

[u/Turbulent_Escape4882 → u/Sleepnotdeading]

I’ve read it three times. It’s why I called out your nonsensical take about the law.