Ethically Sourced Creativity: Shutterstock's Alessandra Sala

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Oct 1, 2024

Alessandra Sala, senior director of data science and AI at Shutterstock, is a leader in responsible AI and co-chair at UNESCO's Women4Ethical AI. She discusses Shutterstock’s evolution into a key player in ethical AI by emphasizing fair compensation for creators and maintaining quality standards. The conversation highlights the strategic advantages of ethical practices in AI, the democratization of creativity, and how AI reshapes artistic expression. Calle’s insights provide a glimpse into the future of creative industries in an AI-driven world.

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INSIGHT

Ethically Sourced AI Training Data

Shutterstock's content is ethically sourced and reviewed for quality and IP, making it trustworthy for AI training.
Unlike random internet scraping, this curated content avoids plagiarism, violence, and bias, ensuring safer AI models.

INSIGHT

Ethics = Strategic Advantage

Being ethical in compensating contributors creates a strategic advantage for Shutterstock.
Ethical royalty models build loyalty and ensure necessary quality data for future AI models.

ANECDOTE

COVID Created New AI Training Needs

After COVID, Shutterstock contributors enabled AI to generate images of masks and PPE, which weren't available pre-pandemic.
This example shows how contributors' real-world content enables AI to stay relevant and responsive.

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Alessandra Sala, senior director of data science and AI at Shutterstock, brings an impressive background in responsible AI to her role. Also the global president of Women in AI and cochair of the Women4Ethical AI platform at UNESCO, Alessandra joins this episode to describe how Shutterstock, widely known as a stock photo company, has become a go-to destination for creative assets — and AI training data.

Alessandra outlines Shutterstock’s content acquisition and royalty models, which reward contributors whose assets are used to train third parties’ AI models and have set the standard for other stock media companies. She argues that these ethical approaches aren’t just a moral choice — they offer strategic advantage, given that these assets are integral to shaping the future of AI-generated content. Learn how Alessandra’s team is leading the charge in ethical AI and redefining the creative landscape. Read the episode transcript here.

For more on model collapse — when AI models are trained on AI-generated content — see this recent New York Times article, “When AI’s Output Is a Threat to AI Itself.”

Guest Bio

Alessandra Sala is the senior director of AI and data science at Shutterstock. She has acquired more than 10 years of experience in research and innovation through her work in both academic and commercial environments. Sala is passionate about advanced analytics, machine learning, and computational models, with a focus on transitioning innovation from research to products.

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