Dutch court artist compensated over AI-manipulated sketches

In a significant move, a Dutch court artist has reportedly received certain damages after an MP for the Party for Freedom used one of her drawings without being approved and manipulated it with AI.

Petra Urban was surprised to discover that a drawing she had made last year of two Syrian brothers who were jailed for the mother of their sister had been modified and used in a video on Instagram and Facebook by the party’s Noord-Brabant chapter.

In this connection, she said: “ One is that my work was used without asking my permission. Secondly, this was done for a political party, when I want to work as neutrally and independently as possible. And thirdly – and this makes it really strange – the distortion was done with AI.”

Under Dutch law, creators are protected by copyright and also

have the right to object to derogatory modifications that could affect their reputation. This incident sparked widespread shock in May after Urban shared the AI-related images with fellow reporters.

The artist felt no mercy in seeking restitution from the MP who had previously been indicted of using AI to manipulate images for political promotion.

“You need to be able to assume that journalistic work is written, drawn, photographed or filmed as neutrally as possible. If this is manipulated, then the flood gates are open. There’s no knowing where it will end.”

The MP has agreed to accountable and told De Telegraaf he had thought a manipulated image would no longer be subject to copyright but added that it was a “very stupid act.”