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Online CG asset marketplace Cubebrush<\/a> has changed its upload policy to require creators to identify any products that have been created using AI tools.<\/p>\n AI-generated content is still permitted on the site, if correctly labeled, but will automatically be hidden in searches and on sellers\u2019 online stores, making it \u201cessentially invisible\u201d.<\/p>\n In a blog post<\/a> explaining the change, Cubebrush describes its ultimate aim as \u201cto have an AI-free marketplace\u201d.<\/p>\n Why has Cubebrush changed its stance on AI-generated content?<\/strong> At the time of writing, there are just under 150,000 assets for sale.<\/p>\n Although most are created in the conventional way, by hand, an \u201cincreasing number\u201d of new products offered for sale have been created using AI tools.<\/p>\n According to Cubebrush, while it has \u201cconsistently denied new creators with [AI-generated] portfolios applying to open new stores \u2026 a small number of existing creators on our platform have started uploading A.I. content\u201d.<\/p>\n How has Cubebrush changed its handling of AI-generated content?<\/strong> The site has now changed its upload policy to require sellers to tag assets that have been created using AI.<\/p>\n Any tagged assets will be hidden automatically, and any assets found to have been mislabeled will now be deleted.<\/p>\n Stores that \u201cconsistently fail to properly identify their A.I. content\u201d will face permanent bans from the site.<\/p>\n Is AI-generated content forbidden on Cubebrush?<\/strong> Creators can upload AI-generated content, and if labeled correctly, it will not be deleted, but it will only be accessible through a direct link.<\/p>\n While sellers could promote those direct links themselves, doing so would remove one of the key benefits of selling through an online marketplace: that they receive more traffic than most sellers\u2019 own websites or social media profiles.<\/p>\n According to Cubebrush, AI-generated content will become \u201cessentially invisible\u201d.<\/p>\n How does Cubebrush\u2019s approach compare to other online marketplaces?<\/strong> Some view generative AI as a potentially useful tool, or a money-making opportunity; others see it as devaluing the role of the artist, or even as an existential threat.<\/p>\n Cubebrush\u2019s new policy places it towards the latter end of the spectrum.<\/p>\n Of the other popular marketplaces, Flipped Normals<\/a>\u2018 policy is straightforward: AI-generated content is not permitted, even if offered for free, and will be removed.<\/p>\n Fab<\/a> and ArtStation Marketplace<\/a>, both owned by Epic Games, permit AI-generated content, if it is tagged \u2018CreatedWithAI\u2019, but do not license existing assets for use training AI models.<\/p>\n TurboSquid<\/a>, owned by Shutterstock\/Getty Images, does not permit sale of AI-generated content, but it does license assets on the site for use training AI models, under an opt-out policy, and is also launching its own generative AI tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n CGTrader<\/a>\u2018s terms of use do not explicitly forbid sale of AI-generated content, although sellers are required to warrant that assets are their own \u201coriginal work\u201d. CGTrader licenses assets on the site for training AI models, under an opt-out policy; advertises assets from the site as part of a licensable AI-training dataset<\/a>; and operates its own generative AI tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read Cubebrush\u2019s blog post announcing its current policy on AI-generated content<\/a><\/p>\n Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>. As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don\u2019t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.<\/em><\/p>\n Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Founded in 2014, Cubebrush is now one of the most popular online marketplaces for stock content for CG work, including 3D models, materials, tools and 2D images.<\/p>\n
Previously, Cubebrush staff manually hid AI-generated assets being offered for sale on the marketplace, which hides them in search results, and in creators\u2019 stores.<\/p>\n
The policy is interesting, because although Cubebrush\u2019s blog post states directly that \u201cA.I. content is NOT ACCEPTED on the marketplace\u201d, it is still permitted on the site itself.<\/p>\n
Other online asset marketplaces have responded to the growth of AI-generated content, and artists\u2019 differing responses to it, in different ways.<\/p>\n