In recent years, AI technology has dramatically transformed content creation. More and more non-designers rely on AI-generated images for social media posts, brand ad campaigns, e-commerce store designs, and more. It’s incredibly convenient—just type a simple prompt, and you get a ready-to-use image in seconds.
However, have you ever thought about the legal side? Can you use these AI-generated images for commercial purposes without facing copyright issues? In this article, we’ll walk you through what you need to know and recommend some awesome AI image generators you shouldn’t miss out.
Table of Contents
- Part 1. Understanding AI-generated Images and Their Implications
- Part 2. How To Avoid Copyright and Authorship Issues When Using AI-generated Images?
- Part 3. How to Publicly Use AI-generated Images without Copyright Concerns?
- Part 4. Trusted AI Image Generation Tools for Legal Media Public Use
- Part 5. Useful Tips to Use AI-generated Images for Public Media
Part 1. Understanding AI-generated Images and Their Implications
AI images are visuals created by using an artificial intelligence system through a simple specific prompt, instead of being directly authored by a human. With the rise of large language models (LLMs), image generators such as ChatGPT and Midjourney allow you to produce HD and realistic images from simple text prompts. This innovation is rapidly transforming image creation, making it faster and accessible than ever—even for users with no prior design experience.
However, posting AI-generated images or videos might also raise certain issues around authorship and copyright. As AI tools are trained on large datasets, some of which may include copyrighted artworks or photographs. So how do you avoid these issues? Or how to use AI-generated images without legal risks?
Part 2. How To Avoid Copyright and Authorship Issues When Using AI-generated Images?
As AI-generated images have been widely used in different areas, including social media posts, topic pictures, website designs, etc., it’s essential to navigate copyright and authority concerns carefully.
Firstly, check the latest terms of use for the AI tools you’re using—some platforms retain rights over the content you create or restrict commercial use. Take Midjourney as an example, you can check its Terms of Service to learn more about its copyright concerns.
Second, avoid using prompts that include well-known characters (like Mickey Mouse, Superman, Harry Potter, etc), brand trademarks (Apple logo), or imitate the distinctive style of real artists (in the style of Van Gogh), as this is very likely to lead to legal issues.
Third, if you’re publishing AI-generated images or videos in the media, be transparent about the source and consider licensing or crediting the tool appropriately.
Finally, stay up-to-date with the latest information about artificial intelligence and copyrights, as legal standards continue to shift in response to this fast-moving technology.
Part 3. How to Legally Use AI-generated Images without Copyright Issues Concerns?
To legally use AI-generated images in public media, you must follow rules that ensure you’re not violating existing copyright laws or platform policies. It’s smart to choose reliable AI tools that clearly state ownership and commercial rights, such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc. On the other hand, form a habit of document backup of the tool used and the prompt entered, especially for media publications or commercial works, as it may serve as proof of originality and usage rights. When you encounter troubles, you can consult legal experts or use AI tools that provide royalty-free outputs specifically intended for public or commercial use.
Part 4. Trusted AI Image Generation Tools for Legal Public Media Use
If you haven’t found the best AI image generator, just try the following trusted 5 AI tools for image generation that balance creativity and legal usability:
#ChatGPT
Produced by OpenAI, ChatGPT is your perfect choice to generate images for legal public media usability. Meanwhile, it’s very easy to use and smoothly converts your simple texts to an image with high-quality resolution. The best thing is that you can now check images previously generated in its Library, and edit any one as you want, even if you are a free user.
#Midjourney
Midjourney is a powerful text-to-image AI tool that allows you to create photorealistic images and high-quality illustrations. While its numerous parameters and features can be overwhelming—especially within its Discord interface if you are a new beginner to use it. Notably, Midjourney was among the first to solve the common problem of rendering human fingers accurately, consistently generating lifelike human depictions.
#Stable Diffusion
Stable Diffusion is another practical AI image generator with two basic features: text-to-image and image-to-image. You can use its text-to-image feature to transform parameter-triggered descriptive prompts into stunning, high-quality images. Also, its image-to-image feature helps you optimize existing images or convert image styles you created before.
Part 5. Useful Tips to Utilize AI-generated Images in Public Media
Claim Your Innovative Ownership: Bringing your personal creative ideas to AI-generated works is essential for establishing true human authorship. Whether you’re changing backgrounds, enhancing visual effects, or adding unique elements for decorations with tools like Photoshop or Figma, your talent will greatly elevate the work, except for protecting you legally.
Ensure Your Image is Unique: Before posting the AI-generated images publicly, you can run a reverse image search using Google Image is essential. This can effectively confirm that your work is not intentionally derivative from well-known characters or real individuals’ work or copyrighted images.
Add AI-Generated Labels: You should clearly disclose the use of AI-generated images or videos when you post them on your social platform for transparency and trust. Labels like “Image Created By ChatGPT AI” help your audiences clearly understand the origin of the work, and appropriate descriptive alt-text further supports transparency and improves accessibility.
Avoid Using Unauthorized Real Images: Never use real photos—especially of public figures—without permission in your AI creations. These are not your original works and may clearly violate copyright or portrait rights. Instead of enhancing your project, they could serve as undeniable evidence of legal infringement. Always create or use properly licensed content to stay safe and original.