GEO Holdings, the operator of DLsite, has announced a ban on the upload and sale of illustrations generated using AI art tools such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. This is the latest user-generated content platform to introduce such a ban, following similar decisions by sites like PixivFANBOX.
DLsite claims that the ban was prompted by concerns about the legality of AI-generated content and the need to protect the creator’s environment. We decided to suspend the sale of AI works because “the rapid development of generative AI outpaced the development of responses, guidelines and policies,” DLsite said, adding that “this is also a step in the right direction. This is also in light of the impact on existing creators of continuing to sell AI works in their current state,” the company added.
DLsite’s announcement said that the items that will be suspended from AI sales are comics, CG illustrations, videos and picture books generated using AI. Novels, game titles and works created only partially with AI assistance will continue to be sold, DLsite said, adding that it will “make further responses in the future based on the state of development of generative AI technology and community feedback.
On May 10, pixivFANBOX, an illustration site run by Pixiv, and Fantia, run by Tora no Ana, also announced that they would temporarily stop selling AI-generated work, a move that follows the lead of other companies.
