/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

>>6444819
Using reference falls under creating a derivative work. Where it starts to become muddy with AI is where bits of artwork are being directly lifted. Even though the work is derivative it may not be sufficiently unique according to copyright law, as many lawsuits regarding music sampling from the 90s demonstrate.

Copyright absolutely makes sense for the arts as a way of protecting the author's right to profit from his labor. Without the ability to profit from it no one will pursue art to a high level and art suffers as a result, becoming literally something only for amateurs and hobbyists. People who are against intellectual property will appeal to high-minded ideals but their position usually stems from wanting something for free.

Also it's dishonest to say that image compositing, which is what AI is, is the same thing as using reference. Reference does not mean precisely replicating what's being referenced. For instance here's a picture of an artist looking at diagrams of ships to accurately paint one, presumably from a different angle.