Protect your photos from Generative AI!

Hello dear photographers, peers by hobby and creativity.

I am greatly concerned by Generative AI and companies stealing our content and training their AI on it without paying benefits to us for that. It is time to give push back on his practice and protect our Intellectual property and our creativity!

I use 2 services to protect my photos from Geenrative AI analyzing them, understanding them, train on them and copy them.

First service is PhotoGuard:
[https://news.mit.edu/2023/using-ai-protect-against-ai-image-manipulation-0731](https://news.mit.edu/2023/using-ai-protect-against-ai-image-manipulation-0731)
developed by people in M.I.T. it uses technology to alter the background of your photos. It does not impact the quality and appearance of the photos, the photos can be printed, but AI cannot analyses them.
Using AI to protect against AI image manipulation “PhotoGuard,” developed by MIT CSAIL researchers, prevents unauthorized image manipulation, safeguarding authenticity in the era of advanced generative models.

Details about PhotoGuard:
Launched in 2023, PhotoGuard uses advanced technology to protect images from unauthorized AI analysis and manipulation. How PhotoGuard protects your photos against AI analysis? As photographers and creatives, we’re increasingly aware of generative AI’s potential to exploit our work. Enter PhotoGuard, a cutting-edge tool developed by researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). How? It subtly alters the pixel data in an image’s background—changes imperceptible to the human eye but very disruptive to AI models. This “scrambling” prevents generative AI from understanding or replicating your photo, safeguarding its authenticity and value.

The beauty of PhotoGuard lies in its balance: it preserves the visual quality for viewers and allows printing without compromise, yet it thwarts AI-driven theft. MIT’s research, detailed in their July 31, 2023, announcement, positions this as a proactive response to the rise of sophisticated AI tools like DALL·E and Midjourney. For photographers concerned about their intellectual property in an AI-dominated landscape, PhotoGuard offers a practical, research-backed solution. It’s a clever use of AI to combat AI, empowering creators to protect their craft. Have you tried it? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this innovative defense.

The second service is Glaze:
[https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/what-is-glaze.html](https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/what-is-glaze.html)
University of Chicago University has another service named Glaze. This service also protect images from Generative AI.

Details about Glaze:
In the age of generative AI, protecting our creative work is more critical than ever. Glaze, developed by the University of Chicago’s SAND Lab, is a powerful tool designed to shield photographers and artists from AI exploitation. Available since 2023, Glaze applies subtle, imperceptible perturbations to images that confuse AI models attempting to analyze or mimic them. Unlike visible watermarks, these changes don’t affect how humans perceive your photo, preserving its aesthetic integrity while blocking AI from stealing your style or content.

The technology targets a key vulnerability:
AI’s reliance on precise data patterns. By disrupting these patterns, Glaze ensures your work can’t be used to train models or generate knockoffs. Detailed on their site, it’s particularly effective against style theft—a growing concern for photographers with unique visual signatures. Free to use and easy to implement, Glaze is a game-changer for creators fighting back against unethical AI practices. It’s not just protection; it’s a statement about the value of artistic ownership. I’ve been exploring it myself—its seamless integration into workflows is impressive. What’s your take? As AI evolves, tools like Glaze could redefine how we safeguard our creative legacies.

These services protect your creative work and it value, so it cannot be stolen, analyzed or given to AI as training data.