The Downfall of Stability.ai - SD3 Banned on CivitAI - Stable Diffusion

Olivio Sarikas
18 Jun 202414:34

TLDRThe video discusses the potential downfall of Stability AI due to licensing issues and a growing divide between the open-source community and corporate interests. It highlights the banning of the SD3 model from CivitAI and the broader implications for AI development, suggesting a need for realistic expectations and a decentralized, accessible approach to AI technology.

Takeaways

  • 😨 The potential downfall of Stability AI is being discussed, highlighting a growing gap between open-source community interests and corporate/investor interests.
  • 📜 There's a 'wild west' situation in the AI landscape with backlash over licensing terms and terms of service by companies like Instagram, Adobe, and Stability AI.
  • 🚫 The SD3 model from Stability AI was banned on CivitAI due to legal concerns, causing uncertainty and reluctance in the open-source community to work with it.
  • 💡 Complaints from the open-source community suggest that AI startups are appropriating ideas and workflows without credit or compensation, attempting to privatize open-source developments.
  • 🤔 Stability AI was founded with the dream of democratizing AI, but corporate interests and investment pressure have created a conflict of interests.
  • 💸 Stability AI received significant investment, including a requirement to purchase Intel hardware, which may have started the conflict between idealistic goals and corporate demands.
  • 🔍 The community favored the 1.5 model from Stability AI for its capabilities and artistic freedom, while subsequent models faced rejection due to restrictions and censorship.
  • 🛠️ There's ongoing refinement and training within the community to improve models, with new technologies like LCM, lightning, and turbo enabling innovative AI applications.
  • 🚫 SD3 medium's release has been problematic, possibly due to research gaps and increased restrictions, leading to worse results and licensing issues.
  • 💼 Internal struggles at Stability AI are evident, with key team members leaving, possibly due to the tension between research goals and investor returns.
  • 🔑 Emad, Stability AI's founder, has started a new project, Shelling AI, focusing on decentralized AI models trained on supercomputers and personal computers, hinting at a shift towards a more open and community-driven approach.

Q & A

  • What is the main issue discussed in the video regarding Stability AI?

    -The main issue discussed is the growing gap between the interests of the open-source community and corporate investors, particularly concerning licensing terms and the potential downfall of Stability AI due to these conflicts.

  • Why was the SD3 model banned from CivitAI?

    -The SD3 model was banned from CivitAI due to feared legal repercussions and licensing issues, which have caused uncertainty and concern within the open-source community.

  • What is the 'wild west situation' referred to in the AI landscape?

    -The 'wild west situation' refers to the current state of AI where there is a lot of backlash between the community and companies over licensing terms and terms of service, with companies trying to sneak in rules without community consent.

  • What is the role of Emad in the founding of Stability AI?

    -Emad, a former head fund manager and mathematician, is one of the founders of Stability AI. He had a vision to democratize AI, making it accessible to everyone, and partnered with a German research project to realize this dream.

  • What was the impact of the investment from Intel on Stability AI?

    -The investment from Intel, amounting to $130 million, came with the requirement to buy hardware from Intel. This created a conflict of interest between the idealistic vision of free AI access and the corporate demand for financial return.

  • Why did the community reject the 2.1 model released by Stability AI?

    -The 2.1 model was rejected by the community because it was more restricted, less artistic, and more censored in the content it could create compared to previous models, leading to dissatisfaction among users.

  • What is the significance of the 1.5 model released by Stability AI in October 2022?

    -The 1.5 model is considered one of the community's favorites due to its capability, artistic freedom, and the range of creations it allows, making it less censored and more versatile than subsequent models.

  • What are the new technologies mentioned that have improved the capabilities of AI models?

    -The new technologies mentioned include LCM (Lightning and Turbo), which enable completely new capabilities and improvements in AI models, allowing for more creative and diverse outputs.

  • What is Emad's new project called Shelling AI, and what are its goals?

    -Shelling AI is Emad's new project aimed at creating a value storage similar to Bitcoin, likely a cryptocurrency, and using supercomputers and distributed personal computers to train decentralized AI models, promoting a more open and accessible approach to AI development.

  • What is the speaker's resolution or recommendation for the AI industry and community?

    -The speaker recommends a more realistic approach to AI, considering who AI belongs to, how it should be regulated, and finding a balance between freedom and necessary content regulations. They also suggest focusing on creating public spaces within AI, rather than corporate-owned solutions with restrictive licenses.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 AI Stability and Open Source Community Concerns

The video script discusses the growing divide between the open source community and corporate interests within the AI landscape. It highlights the backlash against companies like Stability AI, which are accused of inserting restrictive licensing terms without community consent. The script emphasizes the 'wild west' situation in AI, with a focus on the controversy surrounding Stability AI's SD3 model, which led to its ban from Civi due to legal concerns. It also touches on the broader issue of AI startups allegedly stealing ideas from the open source community without proper credit or compensation, and the tension this creates.

05:00

📈 The Evolution of Stability AI and Community Reception

This paragraph delves into the history and development of Stability AI, from its founding by Emad to the various models released over time. It describes the community's reception of different models, with the 1.5 model being a favorite for its artistic freedom and capability. However, subsequent models like 2.1 and SXL faced rejection or skepticism due to increased restrictions and censorship. The paragraph also discusses the impact of Emad's departure and the subsequent release of the controversial SD3 model, which led to further community backlash and legal complications, including model bans and fears of licensing repercussions.

10:05

🤖 Reflections on AI's Future and Ethical Considerations

The final paragraph reflects on the broader implications of AI development, urging the industry and open source community to consider the foundational aspects of AI, such as ownership, regulation, and accessibility. It advocates for a balanced approach to AI regulation, akin to the internet, to ensure a free space for creativity without corporate control. The script also calls for a realistic assessment of AI's current capabilities and the need to build public spaces within AI for everyone's benefit. It concludes with a call to action for the community to focus on creating inclusive AI concepts and products that serve the public good, rather than being confined by corporate interests and restrictive licenses.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion refers to a type of artificial intelligence model capable of generating images from textual descriptions. In the video, it is mentioned as part of the title, indicating the focus on the challenges faced by Stability AI, a company that has developed such models. The script discusses the potential downfall of Stability AI due to licensing and community backlash issues.

💡Open Source Community

The open source community is a group of individuals who contribute to the development of software, tools, or models without proprietary restrictions. The script highlights a growing gap between this community and corporate interests, particularly in the context of AI development, where the community is pushing back against restrictive licensing terms imposed by companies.

💡Licensing Terms

Licensing terms are the legal conditions under which a product or service can be used. The video discusses how companies like Stability AI are facing backlash due to the introduction of restrictive licensing terms that the community perceives as undermining the open-source ethos and potentially stifling innovation.

💡SD3 Model

The SD3 model is a specific version of the AI model developed by Stability AI. The script mentions that due to legal concerns and licensing issues, this model was banned from the CivitAI platform, illustrating the severity of the conflict between open-source ideals and corporate interests in AI development.

💡Civi

Civi is a platform mentioned in the script where the SD3 model was banned due to licensing concerns. This action reflects the community's response to what they perceive as restrictive and potentially harmful licensing practices by Stability AI.

💡Investors

Investors in the context of the video are individuals or entities that provide capital to companies like Stability AI with the expectation of financial returns. The script suggests that investor pressure for returns may be contributing to the company's adoption of restrictive licensing terms and business practices that conflict with the open-source community's values.

💡Decentralized AI

Decentralized AI refers to AI models and systems that are not controlled by a single entity but are instead distributed and potentially owned collectively. The script discusses the dream of democratizing AI, suggesting that a decentralized approach could allow for greater access and innovation without corporate control.

💡Intel

Intel is a technology company mentioned in the script as one of the investors in Stability AI. The investment came with the condition of purchasing Intel hardware, which the script suggests may have influenced Stability AI's direction and contributed to the tensions between open-source ideals and corporate interests.

💡1.5 Model

The 1.5 model is a version of Stability AI's AI model released in October 2022 and is described in the script as being beloved by the community for its capabilities and artistic output. It serves as a contrast to later models that faced community rejection due to increased restrictions and perceived lower quality.

💡Community Backlash

Community backlash refers to the strong negative reaction from the open-source community to certain actions or policies. In the script, this is exemplified by the reaction to Stability AI's licensing terms and the banning of the SD3 model from CivitAI, indicating a significant conflict between the community's values and corporate practices.

💡Shelling AI

Shelling AI is a new project started by Emad, the founder of Stability AI, after leaving the company. The script describes it as an initiative to create a value storage similar to Bitcoin and to use supercomputers and distributed personal computers for training decentralized AI models, suggesting a return to the open-source and decentralized ideals.

Highlights

The potential downfall of Stability AI due to conflicts between open-source community interests and corporate investors.

A growing gap between the open-source community and corporate interests in AI landscape.

Backlash over licensing terms and terms of service in AI companies like Stability AI, Instagram, and Adobe.

SD3 model banned from CivitAI due to legal concerns and community avoidance.

Open-source community complaints about AI startups stealing ideas without credit or compensation.

Stability AI's founding by Emad and partnership with German research project Latent Diffusion.

Conflict between Emad's vision of democratized AI and corporate pressure for financial return.

Investment of $130 million from Intel with conditions, indicating potential problems.

Community's rejection of Stability AI's 2.1 model due to restrictions and lack of artistic quality.

Community refinement of the SXL model to match the capabilities of the beloved 1.5 model.

The introduction of new technologies like LCM, Lightning, and Turbo enhancing AI capabilities.

Controversy surrounding the SD3 model's quality and licensing terms leading to CivitAI ban.

Internal struggles within Stability AI between research goals and investor demands.

Departure of key members from Stability AI and Emad's new project, Shelling AI.

Emad's vision for Shelling AI involving a crypto-coin and decentralized AI training.

The need for a realistic approach to AI capabilities and the importance of open access.

The suggestion for AI to be treated as a cultural space free from corporate control.

The call for AI to be a basic right, accessible without corporate oversight or censorship.

The reality of AI's current capabilities and the benefits of AI in accelerating creative processes.

The importance of building AI concepts that serve the public and not just corporate interests.