Here, we explore the partnership between Shutterstock and AI For Good—and the strides they’re taking to build a brighter future for AI.
Shutterstock has established a partnership with AI For Good’s Global Summit. Our cooperative efforts support the development of ethical AI models, tools, and products.
AI holds great promise. Not only can it make our work easier and our lives simple, it has the power to make our futures better. It’s already in widespread use, both in our daily and professional lives. In fact, 64% of businesses are expecting AI to increase productivity in 2023.
Several industries like healthcare, finance, and consumer packaged goods will all be impacted by AI. Processes like travel and education will change, too. With so much potential for change at the hands of AI, it’s imperative that AI is developed ethically.
That’s exactly why our partnership has been established.
AI for Good (AFG) is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This is the United Nations’ (UN) specialized agency for information and communication technologies, which is in partnership with 40 UN Sister Agencies.
Their goal is to identify practical applications of AI to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and scale those solutions for global impact.
Sejal Amin, Shutterstock’s Chief Technology Officer, and Alessandra Sala, our Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, delivered a keynote presentation at this year’s Global Summit.
Titled “Blending ART + SCIENCE: A Human Approach Towards the Future of Creativity,” this keynote address discussed how our future needs to include both people and machines working together as creative partners as the best way forward.
Both teams are leaders in fostering the expansion of ethical, positive, impactful AI. Here, we explore why AI For Good and Shutterstock are an ideal partnership during this year’s Global Summit and beyond.
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How Are We Building the Future of AI?
When it comes to creating an ethical, AI-powered future, AI For Good and Shutterstock are perfect partners. Innovators in the data science and AI spaces work in fast-paced, ever-evolving environments and must learn the latest in ethics and tech year-round.
AFG offers a digital platform where AI innovators and problem solvers learn, build, and connect at any time. These connections and conversations foster the development of practical AI solutions to achieve international impacts.
Shutterstock also prioritizes the development of practical, ethical AI. In fact, we’ve developed AI for commercial use, with ethics at its forefront.
“This is not just the right way to operate, it is the only way to ensure AI is a positive force in our industry and our world,” says Alessandra Sala Shutterstock’s Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, in regards to how Shutterstock approaches ethical AI development.
From the inception of our AI products, Shutterstock has led the way in both technological and ethical AI advancement. We developed generative AI powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 2, while also compensating our contributors through our Contributor Fund.
Recently, we’ve announced partnerships with NVIDIA, Meta, LG Research, and other tech industry leaders. All of this collaborative work advances foundational generative AI tools and ethical standards for creators.
“We believe our collaboration with Shutterstock will inspire our community to both learn about this technology and consider the impacts when creating processes, policies, and procedures for integration,” says Frederic Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement at ITU and AI For Good.
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What Does This Partnership Look Like?
Beyond the more philosophical approach to developing AI for good, what does our partnership look like in practice?
We kicked our collaboration off at this year’s AI for Good Global Summit with Amin’s and Sala’s keynote address. Summit attendees included 3,000 business, government, technology, nonprofit, and startup participants from 182 countries.
Along with this address, Shutterstock is sponsoring and judging an AI art competition in partnership with AI For Good. This initiative will center around a global AI art contest intended to inspire, engage, and foster positive change in the world through the creative lens of artists around the world.
Here’s a look at some details on the contest:
- The call for entries will be opened in the autumn. Artists from all corners of the globe can participate and explore the limitless possibilities of AI-driven art.
- Artwork can be made with generative algorithms, neural networks, or machine learning.
- Just as AI For Good and Shutterstock prioritize sustainable, ethical AI, so should entries to the contest. All art should reflect unique visions for sustainable futures, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
- More details will be shared in the future regarding the submission period, judging criteria, and prizes.
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What Does an AI For Good and Shutterstock Partnership Mean?
All of the work that goes into creating ethical AI is a continuation of Shutterstock’s mission to advance technology, support artists, and fuel a diverse, representative future.
Even beyond artificial intelligence solutions, we’ve been doing this work. Shutterstock’s Create Fund grant gives funding to underrepresented artists, which in turn diversifies our image, video, and content offerings.
Our data science teams have reached a 40/60 gender balance, and are full of talented engineers from various cultural and educational backgrounds. In order to build the very best AI solutions, the teams behind them have to accurately represent our world.
“It is critical that we are representing humanity fairly, being inclusive, and mitigating biases while this technology evolves and enters our life in deeper ways,” says Sejal Amin, Shutterstock’s Chief Technology Officer.
For years, Shutterstock has prioritized this work, and we’re proud to partner with AI For Good to bring it to an even greater global audience.
“As we look to the future of AI integration, we have a responsibility to understand what this means for developers, users, and communities,” says Werner. “Shutterstock’s presentation at the Summit demonstrated their commitment to solving many of the issues involved with human machine collaboration.”
Explore more:
Do you wonder, “What are AI generated images?” Are you asking how to use AI? Your quick start guide is here.
Shutterstock offers the best free ai art generator, which you can use commercially. Learn all about it here in our guide to generative AI art.
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