AI-generated art took the world by storm in 2022, but the technology was quickly deemed unfavorable when people became aware that the various software, like Midjourney and DALL-E 2, was using artists' material without their consent.

With Glaze, however, artists now have a way of preventing AI software from mimicking their work. Keep reading to find out how it works.

What Is Glaze, and How Does It Work?

Glaze is a tool that was developed by a team of researchers at the University of Chicago SAND Lab, in collaboration with professional artists, to help protect artists from having their unique art styles learned and imitated by AI software.

Various images on Glaze's About Us page with brief introduction to the software

The tool works by adding minor, inconspicuous changes to an artwork, which the developers call "cloaking". These changes are so subtle that they can't be detected by humans, but AI software will recognize them and produce an image that differs from the intended style.

In doing this, AI software never learns the artist's unique style and cannot generate images in their style if prompted to do so.

Diagram showing how Glaze technology prevents AI from mimicking art styles

There are a couple of guidelines you can follow to ensure you're creating and using AI art ethically. One example includes using Shutterstock's AI image generator to create artwork, which compensates artists if their work is used in the final result.

What Are the Limitations?

Like all technology, Glaze is not perfect, and the website does list some risks and limitations of the software—such as certain art mediums having more noticeable changes. It also mentions that the research is ongoing and that the tool will be updated accordingly.

Additionally, it's stated that Glaze is only a temporary solution, because AI software is constantly evolving, and may be able to bypass the cloaking one day.

However, no matter how potentially fleeting, Glaze is still making strides for its unique abilities, being the only tool available to the public that actively prevents AI from learning art styles without the artists' consent.

Glaze Going Forward

Glaze cannot protect images that have already been published, but it can prevent further incidences from occurring if artists are to use the software before uploading their art online. Whether the tool is temporary or long-lived, Glaze is a must for every artist going forward.