Protecting Your Artwork from AI Training:
How I do it, and why you may want to consider it too š
The invasion of the AI bots
This may sound like a thrilling title for a blockbuster movie, but the truth is far from exciting.
By now, you've probably heard about generative AI and its impact on the art world and other creative fields.
Especially since last autumn, companies have been using artificial intelligence models to train on digital images, often scraped from the web from popular places like Twitter and Instagram. This poses a significant threat to creatives, as every photo and artwork on the internet is vulnerable to being trained by AI without the consent or knowledge of the owner.
Fighting against misuse and abuse of AI
Fortunately, there are amazing individuals like project leader Ben Zhao from the University of Chicago website who fight against the misuse and abuse of generative AI.
Together with his team, Zhao found ways to weaponize against some of the versions of generative AI and counteract its negative effects in the shape of software.
The two types of software they developed are called GLAZE and NIGHTSHADE, and are free to use for artists, which I think is amazing
Iāve been using them both in my art for a while now. In this update, I will share what they do and why, so you, as a creative, may want to start using them too.
All good and well, but what does it even look like?
They say an image speaks louder than words, right? So here goes:
Iāve painted a simple apple and applied GLAZE, NIGHTSHADE, and even a combination of both to the illustration to show you what their protection looks like.
As you may be able to tell, GLAZE is less visible than NIGHTSHADE.
What is GLAZE - and what does it do?
GLAZE is a software program that manipulates individual pixels to alter the style.
Think of it as a cloak that conceals your image.
The changes that the software makes are almost invisible to the human eye, but the AI art models that try to train from your image are being ātrickedā into thinking the image has a different style than it actually has. So, for example, the AI model might interpret a photo-realistic image as a cubist-style artwork.
PROS
It will protect your art style.
Generative AI models wonāt be able to copy or train on it because they see something different due to the changes that GLAZE makes to your image.
CONS
After using it, GLAZE is sometimes still slightly visible on your artwork, especially on surfaces with simple gradients or flat colors like you see in some vector art.
But the more detailed your artwork is, the harder itās noticeable itās been āGLAZE-d.āYou can only render a few images at a time. My maximum is three images in one go.
Depending on the type of protection you choose (the intensity and quality), adding GLAZE to your image can be very time-consuming. I try to make it part of my routine nowadays when Iām ready to share new artwork.
Adding glaze to your artwork is yet another task on your (already full) plate as an artist. It takes time to go through your art and websites while protecting your lifeās work.
Your computer needs to be capable of rendering your images. Rendering may slow down your computer.
How it works:
Download the software to your desktop computer and run the app.
Fortunately, GLAZE is quite simple and self-explanatory.
Itās just one black window with text, buttons, sliders, and an info box.
Select the image you want to āGlaze.ā
Set your preferred intensity.
Set your preferred Render Quality
Select the folder in which the app will save your rendered image.
Optionally, you can select a tag for your image. This is only possible when you run 1 image at a time.
Run GLAZE*** HANDY TIPS
In the screenshot below, you can see what the app looks like after opening it.
When using the app, please keep an eye on the box that I encircled with a magenta line. This box displays all the information about the rendering.
For some reason, I kept overlooking it myself, so when I first started using the app, I wasnāt sure if it was actually running.
But all the information is in this box. It also mentions errors, if there are any.For best results, run GLAZE with PNG files of your work.
When youāre done, save the PNG file as a JPEG file again. They are faster and lighter to upload on websites and apps.According to the University of Chicago, you can combine NIGHTSHADE and GLAZE.
Run NIGHTSHADE as a PNG first. Then, run GLAZE from the png image youāve added Nightshade to. Convert the final file to a JPEG to upload to your websites or apps like Instagram.
Alternatively, you can try WEBGLAZE
In case you are not able to download GLAZE to your computer, there is the option to use WEBGLAZE instead.
WEBGLAZE is a free web service that offers a simple browser-based interface for artists to apply GLAZE to their art, no matter what computing platform they use. Users can upload images through an easy web form, along with a strength parameter and their email address.
If you have an account on CARA, you can use CARA-GLAZE there (but youāll have to be patient as CARA-GLAZE is currently undergoing some changes.)
Note: If you want to apply to WEBGLAZE, your request has to be approved first. This may take a little time.
Follow this link to find out how you can get approved for WEBGLAZE
šHow to get an invite
Other links:
š Download GLAZE here
š Find out how to request WEBGLAZE here
š GLAZE software guide
š Problems? Check their FAQ
What is NIGHTSHADE - and what does it do?
NIGHTSHADE is, like GLAZE, a software program that manipulates the individual pixels of your image. It will āshadeā your images in such a way they will appear entirely different for generative AI models.
NIGHTSHADE, like the real plant, works like a poison. It confuses the generative AI models and affects the way they learn from your art. The AI models that have been learning from images with NIGHTSHADE will, in the long run, start making more and more mistakes. Utlimately, it will damage the learning models.
PROS
The āshadeā will protect your artwork. On top of that, your image will poison the generative AI models, which will, in the long run, confuse and damage them.
CONS (pretty similar to GLAZE)
NIGHTSHADE is pretty noticeable in your artwork, while GLAZE stays more subtle.
When the image is viewed smaller, like on a website, itās not as obvious. But on surfaces with simple gradients or flat colors, NIGHTSHADE (sadly) really stands out.
Just like GLAZE, itās harder to see itās been used in more detailed artwork. But as an artist, I'm sure you'll still notice it, just like I do.You can only render a few images at a time. My maximum is three images in one go.
Depending on the type of protection you choose (the intensity and quality), adding NIGHTSHADE to your image can be very time-consuming. I try to make it part of my routine when Iām ready to share new artwork.
Adding glaze to your artwork is yet another task on your (already full) plate as an artist. It takes time to go through your art and websites while protecting your lifeās work.
Your computer needs to be capable of rendering your images. Rendering may slow down your computer.
How it works:
Pretty much the same as GLAZE.
Download the software to your desktop computer and run the app.
Fortunately, GLAZE is quite simple and self-explanatory.
Itās just one black window with text, buttons, sliders, and an info box.
Select the image you want to āShade.ā
Set your preferred intensity.
Set your preferred Render Quality
Select the folder in which the app will save your rendered image.
Optionally, you can select a tag for your image. This is only possible when you run 1 image at a time.
Run NIGHTSHADE**
HANDY TIPS (similar to GLAZE)
In the screenshot below, you can see what the app looks like after opening it.
When using the app, please keep an eye on the box that I encircled with a magenta line. This box displays all the information about the rendering.
For some reason, I kept overlooking it myself, so when I first started using the app, I wasnāt sure if it was actually running.
But all the information is in this box. It also mentions errors, if there are any.
For best results, run NIGHTSHADE with PNG files of your work.
When youāre done, save the PNG file as a JPEG file again. They are faster and lighter to upload on websites and apps.According to the University of Chicago, you can combine NIGHTSHADE and GLAZE.
Run NIGHTSHADE as a PNG first. Then, run GLAZE from the png image youāve added Nightshade to. Convert the final file to a JPEG to upload to your websites or apps like Instagram.
š Download NIGHTSHADE here
š NIGHTSHADE software guide
š Problems? Check their FAQ
Small hiccups Iāve encountered with both apps
At start-up, the app sometimes needs some time to load, but itās not always visible that itās actually busy doing something. It may look like it froze completely.
For instance, on my computer (a Mac) it sometimes looks like itās not responding for several minutes. But no worries. Give it time to start up. It may not be directly visible, but itās actually loading the app and will eventually pop up on your screen.
Why I think you should use GLAZE & NIGHTSHADE too
I know that adding GLAZE or NIGHTSHADE can be quite time-consuming. It doesnāt look amazing, and having to protect our images in the first place REALLY SUCKS, butā¦.I really think that we can make a difference if we all start doing it.
I was watching to this very interesting interview on YouTube with the previously mentioned Ben Zhao. He explains very clearly the ultimate goal of these apps.
In the short run, it can protect your art and, in general, your lifeās work.
But in the long run, their goal is to increase the cost of using generative AI models that companies use in such a way that it will become more cost-effective for them to pay a creative for their work.
Using NIGHTSHADE, in particular, will help this cause most of all. The more artists upload images with NIGHTSHADE to the web, the more generative AI models will become affected. The mistakes they make once theyāve learned from a NIGHTSHADED image are very hard (if not impossible) to reverse, and the more Nightshaded images it trains on, the more mistakes it will make.
Even with new techniques to monitor these mistakes, itās going to become more and more costly for companies to risk scraping images from the internet without permission because they can never be sure which images are affected and which aren't. This will hopefully encourage companies to license āsafeā images directly from creators, which will be safe for their AI models to train on and more cost-effective in the end.
And thatās what weāre all hoping for!
So, if you want to make this possible too, I say: Shade away!
Last but not Least; Are there other ways to protect yourself?
Yes, there are! For instance, you can use websites like "Have I Been Trained" to check if your work has been used by generative AI models. You can create an account there and try to opt out your artwork and photos.
I believe there are other websites out there as well, and I may write about them if I have time.
For now, I leave you with this info and hope it has been helpful!
PS: If you stumble upon any problems with the apps, please contact the University of ChicagoĀ or check their FAQ first.
With love
Resources:
Creators of NIGHTSHADE & GLAZE:
Interesting reads on NIGHTSHADE & GLAZE:
The Muse:
The poison wellMIT Technology Review:
This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AIBusiness Insider:
Artists are losing the battle against AI. Glaze, a tool thatās found a way to trick algorithms, is giving them a fighting chance.
I'm not a visual artist, but it makes me happy to see resources like these being created to help protect artists! (and sad that they're necessary). The whole idea of increasing the cost and risk for companies to keep using AI is fascinating--maybe eventually we'll see AI being used for things that can actually help people instead of taking jobs away from them.
Thanks for this post! Iāll be trying this out.