Is paying artists enough to convince them to embrace AI?

August 2, 2026 Charles Pulliam-Moore

An AI-generated image of a woman in armor standing on al elevated platform surrounded by soldiers.

Illustrators have spent years sounding the alarm about generative artificial intelligence startups training their models on artists' work without permission. They've pointed out how the practice is tantamount to theft, and in response, many gen AI boosters have argued that it's necessary for the technology's evolution. This has led to contentious legal battles, but it's also given rise to a new wave of AI startups like Pippa that market their services as being more ethical than the competition.

Like most companies selling access to text-to-video models, Pippa's main product is short bursts of user-generated footage that can be cobbled toget …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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