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>The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust has raised concerns over what it describes as the unauthorised use of Ansel Adams’s name and work in an “AI-generated colour version” of his iconic photograph shot in 1942 Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, which was recently exhibited and offered for sale at a major international photography fair.
>In a statement, the Trust said the work “exploited Ansel’s name, reputation, and his most iconic image, while failing to identify any human artist responsible for its creation. The Trust did not authorise, endorse, consent to, or acquiesce in the ‘AI-generated colour version’ of ‘Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico’ exhibited and offered for sale by Danziger Gallery at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD in April. The Trust was not consulted or notified before the work appeared. Once alerted, we reached out to James Danziger in real time, notifying him of the Trust’s rights, and asking for the work to be removed. Correspondence shared with the Trust shows that, despite our formal notice, Mr. Danziger subsequently leveraged Ansel’s name, ‘Moonrise,’ and the AIPAD presentation while pursuing a proposed commercial AI colourisation venture involving other artists’ estates.”
>James Danziger made a response on the Danziger website to Ansel Adams Trust's condemnation by not only mentioning that the image is technically in the public domain, but also wrote: "As for the print itself, while A.I. served as the starting point, the final image involved extensive human intervention, editing, proofing, and refinement over many months."