I wrote a small test of an idea that I had, and the thumbnail to this is an example of one of the images it produces.

Basically, it scrambles an image into block regions visually, and then optionally XOR's the image data with a secret to create an encrypted image which AI struggles to properly recognize, and makes the image become junk for training. Users with this tool for this can then compute the original image for themselves.

This has the massive benefit of not adding extra information into the image, so it can 'blend in' with real images as well.

This process (with encryption) is reversible in a visually imperceptible way at lower 'magic' sizes (which this image pushes due to vibrancy), while taking time for any motivated scrapers to brute-force.

you can test this yourself with a block size of 128 and magic of 35. The code and some more information is available at https://codeberg.org/emmowo/scrapescramble

In the future, I might implement this as a bit of JS you can add to your websites (or as a browser extension) as a means of making all visitors passively decode the image without needing to use an external app.

This implementation is just a proof-of-concept, so tonnes can be done to increase the complexity of 'cracking' these images later on. This is meant to be more of a deterrence than outright prevention, but it does have some use for it.

Either way, feedback would be nice!

ARIA said that Australian artists were competing for attention "in the most crowded market in history" and that it was "not interested in promoting or celebrating the success of AI-generated music that does not contain human artistry".

Under the new rules, AI assistance can still be used, but humans must have written the song, and have performed the lead vocal and primary instruments.

AI can also still be used for mastering songs and, for example, using drum machines and auto tune...

The updated code, based on the IFPI directive, also excludes music that raises "stream or chart manipulation concerns".

ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said: "These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is, to say the least, a rapidly developing space."

Artists already use AI tools in their work, the charts can and should evolve to keep room for that...

Source [archived; 2026-08-25]

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/65623503

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43600018

Ella Baron cartoon on AI and the drought (Guardian, 24 Aug.)

Context: https://blog.cara.app/blog/cara-needs-your-help

Short attention spans were always part of their plan.

For context: Cara is an artists social platform that gained traction after Instagram made you agree to let them use your pictures for whatever purpose (train AI most likely). The platform has a firm stance against the use of generative AI and even has Glaze built in (a tool to poison pictures for when they're fed to AI).

Only recently I saw a post here on Lemmy about someone scraping all of Cara and posting about it (https://lemmy.world/post/50643500). Apparently it's been already three times.

These people really have no shame. Fuck them.

Jingna Zhang is now collecting funds to support Cara in taking legal action. Here is the official post:

https://blog.cara.app/blog/cara-needs-your-help

Cara needs your help. We have been scraped a third time. This is now a targeted attack meant to cause artists pain.

Scrapers know we're a volunteer project with no financial means to respond. So they say it's legal, believing themselves untouchable.

We're taking action.

I believe artists who want to share their work with the world should get to do so without people violating their consent. We won’t be forced into making Cara members-only because some people think "consent isn't always valid". You don't blame victims after harming them.

These scrapers feel safe because they know we’re small team of volunteers, that we have no way of affording help.

So I’m asking our community, will you come together? Please help us take legal action.

Other platforms may not care because artists are easy targets to bully. No one really stands with us.

But I care because it is my home, our home. I won’t let them trample over the hearts of everyone. Our team may be small, but we want to defend Cara.

I have a lot on my plate and my body is falling apart from all I've taken on these past years. But I always think, when we're alive, we should do what's right.

People who think they can harm others because it's "legal" shouldn't get away with it. I refuse to give up.

I don’t want this to become encouragement for open season on artists just because we seem powerless.

So I want to take legal action and find out just what we can or cannot do. I want to know what I need to do next, to make this twisted world change. To hold people accountable.

If you can, please consider donating whether it's $1, $10, or $50 to our legal fund. This will help us seek counsel for legal options for both Cara and its artists, and in carrying out necessary legal actions.

Please help us stop scrapers from targeting artists.

https://gofundme.com/f/help-cara-legal-fund

Jingna Zhang
Founder, Cara

Is it really that difficult to photoshop his ugly mug on super problematic pictures of devestating and low-minded war or even pictures of hair-triggered toddlers having a ballistic tailspin over a molehill.

Muting AI on bluesky hardly even block out cheap and effortless slop like this.

By using Data Centers to make a mockery of Trump you are ironically contributing to one of his Crime Syndicate's objectives on global exacerbation

Why can't you just post Satirical political cartoons by prolific and overlooked cartoonists that have burned candles at both ends with their artistic skills and their simplistic but insightful and mutinous humour?

Go on, elaborate please!

A collection of drawings with suggestions of how to live in the age of AI.

• Read slowly.
• Make ugly things.
• Don't believe everything. (With a drawing of a man with a tie saying "the future is here, while a woman is holding a dog that's pooping while on a lead)
• Eat together.
• Get bored. (With a drawing of someone stargazing)
• Avoid instant replies. (With a drawing of someone playing with a fish in a fish bowl while their phone goes "ting ting ting ting!" on a nearby table
• Call your grandma/grandpa (A drawing of two people next to each other, have a phone conversation "Where are you?" "Right behind you"
• Fall in love (A drawing of two people dancing together)
• Cry every now & then (A drawing of someone lying on the floor, sobbing, while holding a flower and telling it "omg you're so pretty!"
• Memorise a poem (A drawing of someone holding a piece of paper, reading "I'm a phenomenally phenomenal woman, that's me!")
• Trust your gut (A drawing of someone who has freed three birds from a cage)
• Take your time (A drawing of someone working at a desk on a laptop. There is an angry person standing next to them wearing a shirt that says "boss". The boss says "Can you finish this in the next hour?" the person working says "Nope!" with a smile on their face.)

@sillygautamireddy