Fighting for your right to 'Generate and Create'
A new Big Tech coalition says AI for everyone!
Generate and Create’s obviously AI generated logo
First impressions
When I first looked at the website for Generate and Create, a new campaign launched by the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition that includes Amazon, Apple and Meta, I was struck by how obviously AI-generated their logo was. Their own mascot, Arty Fish, is obviously AI generated. Their theme song “Infinite Imagination” was created with Suno. Shouldn’t such a large and powerful tech coalition get some real logo designers to brand their campaign? But I guess that’s the point, AI is democratic. it belongs to the people, even the tech giants.
Generate and Create’s home page with populist grassroots-themed branding.
What are they fighting for?
Adam Kovacevich is the founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress, dubbed “one of the most powerful tech lobby groups,” by the New York Times, and “one of the tech industry’s most prominent allies in Washington,” by the Washington Post. He positions AI as an underdog, using legal and legislative action to lower barriers so that artists and creators can leverage AI tools without fear of undue copyright restrictions.
The core beliefs of Generate and Create:
Gen AI is subject to fair use protection
Gen AI is a net positive for creativity
Gen AI lowers barriers for producing art
All art has responded to what has come before
Extending copyright to styles would stifle creativity
Generate and Create’s mascot Arty Fish wants you to have access to Gen AI too
Why does it matter?
Most creatives view themselves as the victim of AI’s copyright infringement, providing a vulnerable open-source for scrapers to steal their work without license, credit, or providing monetary compensation. Generate and Create skews the looking glass, to propose the narrative that AI copyright restrictions unduly deprive artists of a tool that can enable them freely create. They want to shift the narrative from creatives feeling their work is being stolen, to feel the right to AI risks being taken away by elitist art institutions and special interest groups, and this organization is fighting for them.
What happens next?
This battle will be played out in courts both big and small, and in behind-the-scenes legislation driven by lobbying. The battle will also include the court of public opinion, as Big Tech seeks to normalize and position AI-generated images like those used in their campaign as “imagery for the people” that is being unfairly denied by elitist art institutions. Chamber of Progress claims that it’s looking out for the little people.