Shutterstock licenses its video library to AI corporate video company<p>It's 2025, so it should be no surprise that another organization has sold its soul (entered into a licensing deal with an AI company) for an undisclosed sum. A new partnership allows UK-based Synthesia to <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.synthesia.io/post/partnering-shutterstock-accelerate-ai-research">access Shutterstock's content library[/url] for training its latest AI model, EXPRESS-2. This deal isn't the first of its kind for Shutterstock, which previously <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/shutterstock-ai-generated-stock-images-dall-e-133903619.html">teamed up with OpenAI[/url] to sell stock images made using AI generator <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/open-a-is-dall-e-2-produces-fantastical-images-of-most-anything-you-can-imagine-170056814.html">DALL-E 2[/url].</p>
<p>Synthesia creates avatars for corporate videos about topics such as cybersecurity and good communication at work. It aims to use Shutterstock's video data to "try out new approaches that will improve the performance of EXPRESS-2, and increase the realism and expressiveness of our AI generated avatars, bringing them closer to human-like performances.," Synthesia stated in a release. </p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Typically, Synthesia uses actors to create avatars, paying to use their likeness for three years. But, now it will have access to individuals through Shutterstock's videos. Though these people will not be used to create avatars but to model body language, tone of voice and how people look at a desk or while using a whiteboard, for example. </p>
<p>While, it means that someone featured on Shutterstock won't suddenly see their face in a workplace video, it does mean that their existence — whether it's movements or words — is being fed to an AI company. It's just the latest case of a company choosing to license its content for AI training, similar to deals we've seen with the likes of <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-will-pay-dotdash-meredith-at-least-16-million-per-year-to-license-its-content-191756662.html">DotDash Meredith[/url], <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/time-strikes-a-deal-to-funnel-101-years-of-journalism-into-openais-gaping-maw-144058426.html">Time[/url] and <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-ai-gains-access-to-reuters-news-content-in-multi-year-deal-142214611.html">Reuters[/url], to name only a few instances. This deal is obviously different because Synthesia is training on videos and not words.</p>
<p><strong>Update, April 10 2025, 9:51AM ET: </strong>This story has been updated to remove an implication that Synthesia was using content from specific creators without permission. </p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/ai/shutterstock-licenses-its-video-library-to-ai-corporate-video-company-120004055.html?src=rssSource:
Shutterstock licenses its video library to AI corporate video company
