Katarina Feder on Artists' Rights, AI Training, and Copyright in the Digital Age
Katarina Feder, the vice president of the Artists Rights Society (ARS), examines the implications of AI on artists' rights. She comments on David Salle's application of AI in his 'Pastorals' series (1999–2000), collaborating with Danika Laszuk and Grant Davis to produce 'New Pastorals' for Gladstone Gallery in 2024. Feder explains that Salle's closed-loop training circumvents copyright issues since he holds the rights, a position backed by a January 2025 report from the U.S. Copyright Office. Additionally, she points out Alec Baldwin's $190,000 lawsuit against Mary Boone for misrepresenting a repainted Bleckner artwork. Feder also warns of legal challenges for an AI mural application, referencing copyright laws protecting street art, and mentions pending lawsuits against Vivienne Westwood and a 2026 case involving Ernest Zacharevic and AirAsia.
Key facts
- Katarina Feder is vice president of the Artists Rights Society (ARS), which has protected artists' IP since 1987.
- David Salle trained AI on his own 'Pastorals' series (1999–2000) with Danika Laszuk and Grant Davis.
- Salle's 'New Pastorals' were first shown at Gladstone Gallery in New York in 2024.
- U.S. Copyright Office's January 2025 report confirms AI-assisted works with human creative input qualify for copyright.
- Alec Baldwin paid $190,000 in 2010 for a fake Ross Bleckner painting sold by Mary Boone; Boone settled for seven figures in 2017.
- Revok demanded H&M stop using his Brooklyn street art in 2018; H&M withdrew its countersuit after backlash.
- UK street artists DISA, SNOK, and RENNEE sued Vivienne Westwood for using their graffiti on clothing.
- AirAsia was sued in 2026 by Ernest Zacharevic for reproducing his mural 'Kids on Bicycle' (2012) on an aircraft.
- Anthropic settled for $1.5 billion in 2025 for training on copyrighted books, paying $3,000 per work.
- Dating app 'chatfishing' uses AI tools like ChatGPT, Rizz, Winggg, and YourMove to generate pickup lines.
Entities
Artists
- Katarina Feder
- David Salle
- Danika Laszuk
- Grant Davis
- Édouard Manet
- Émile Zola
- Alec Baldwin
- Ross Bleckner
- Mary Boone
- Keith Haring
- Revok
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Cole Smith
- Reece Deardon
- Harry Matthews
- DISA
- SNOK
- RENNEE
- Ernest Zacharevic
- Banksy
- Coral Hart
- Karl Ove Knausgård
Institutions
- Artists Rights Society (ARS)
- Gladstone Gallery
- U.S. Copyright Office
- Brant Foundation
- H&M
- Vivienne Westwood
- AirAsia
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- The New York Times
- The Art Newspaper
- CULTURED
- Facebook Dating
- Hinge
- Rizz
- Winggg
- YourMove
- Pest Control Office Limited
- GANksy
- De Buck Gallery
- Sprüth Magers
Locations
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Minnesota
- Brooklyn
- United Kingdom
- Lithuania
- Malaysia
- South Africa