Unit 6 · Technology Ethics & Law

Case Study Focus: Getty Images v. Stability AI (2023)

🎯 Learning Intention

I will analyze a real digital-law case involving copyright and artificial intelligence and evaluate how intellectual-property laws should apply to generative tools.

✅ Success Criteria

• I can explain what the lawsuit was about and why it matters.
• I can identify the ethical conflict between innovation and ownership.
• I can propose a fair solution that respects both creators and developers.

☀️ Warm-Up (5 min)

“If you train an AI on your artwork without asking—does it count as stealing or learning? Write one sentence defending your answer.”

🧠 Mini-Lesson (10 min)

Topic: AI, Copyright & Fair Use

• Getty Images sued Stability AI for using millions of its photos to train an image-generator model.
• Getty claimed this violated copyright and devalued artists’ work.
• Stability AI argued the data use was transformative and protected by fair use.