According to Decrypt, Shutterstock has announced the integration of a new generative AI tool called Creative AI into its library of over 700 million images. This tool allows users to create customized AI-generated works that are appropriately licensed. Creative AI leverages technology developed by OpenAI, enabling users to generate new images and edit and change images already in the Shutterstock library. The recently launched AI image generator feature includes the latest version of OpenAI’s Dall-E.

New features in Creative AI include Magic Brush, which allows image edits by brushing and describing desired changes; variations, which can generate alternative versions of stock or AI images; and image expansion, which can broaden the scene as if zooming out. Shutterstock Director of Product Marketing Tiffany Gilron said that these new capabilities will allow creators and business leaders to craft bespoke content to fulfill their creative needs quicker and easier than before, without the need for any prior photo editing experience. While Creative AI is free to use, users will need a subscription plan to purchase the final image.

Shutterstock's AI image generator produces content that is ready for licensing and indemnifiable for commercial use, and contributors to the platform’s library of content have been compensated for their work. Gilron added that all their AI products, including the new Creative AI features, are trained on licensed content. Through their first-of-its-kind contributor fund, Shutterstock has compensated hundreds of thousands of artists, with anticipated payments to millions more. The company also has additional safeguards in place with their contributor policy, which does not allow AI-generated content created outside their platform to be sold through their marketplace.