Stability AI
 Logo of Stability AI | |
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Artificial intelligence |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Emad Mostaque |
| Website | stability |
Stability AI is an artificial intelligence company, best known for its text-to-image model Stable Diffusion.
History and founding
Stability AI was founded in 2019 by Emad Mostaque.[1][2][3]
In August 2022 Stability AI rose to prominence with the release of its source and weights available text-to-image model Stable Diffusion.[1]
On March 23, 2024, Emad Mostaque stepped down from his position as CEO. The board of directors appointed COO, Shan Shan Wong, and CTO, Christian Laforte, as the interim co-CEOs of Stability AI.[4]
On June 25, 2024, Prem Akkaraju, former CEO of visual effects company Weta Digital, was appointed CEO of the company. [5] [6]
Funding and investors
A notable milestone in the company's funding history was a $101 million investment round led by Coatue and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC also participating. [7]
On June 25, 2024, alongside announcing Prem Akkaraju as the new CEO, Stability AI also announced they had closed an initial round of investment from world-class investor groups such as Greycroft, Coatue Management, Sound Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and O’Shaughnessy Ventures. [8] [9] Sean Parker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former President of Facebook, joined the Stability AI Board as Executive Chairman. [9] On September 24, 2024, Stability AI announced that legendary filmmaker, technology innovator, and visual effects pioneer James Cameron had joined its Board of Directors. [10] [11]
Product and application
Stability AI has made contributions to the field of generative AI, most notably through Stable Diffusion. This AI model allows images to be generated from textual descriptions. Beyond Stable Diffusion, Stability AI also develops Video, Audio, 3D, and text models.[12]
Litigation
Stability AI has faced legal challenges, notably from Getty Images, which accused the company of misusing over 12 million photos from its collection to train Stability AI's AI image-generation system, Stable Diffusion. This lawsuit, filed in Delaware federal court, is part of a series of actions against Stability AI concerning the use of images in AI training. Getty Images alleges that Stability AI copied these images without proper licensing, using them to enhance Stable Diffusion's ability to generate accurate depictions from user prompts.[13]
References
- ^ a b Roose, Kevin (2022-10-21). "A Coming-Out Party for Generative A.I., Silicon Valley's New Craze". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- ^ Prescott, Katie (29 February 2024). "Stability AI rejects photo copyright claims in High Court case". thetimes.
- ^ Cai, Kenrick (March 29, 2024). "How Stability AI's Founder Tanked His Billion-Dollar Startup". Forbes.
- ^ Warren, Tom (23 March 2024). "Stability AI CEO resigns to "pursue decentralized AI"". The Verge.
- ^ Law, Marcus (5 July 2024). "Newly Appointed AI Leaders: June and July 2024". AI Magazine.
- ^ "Stability AI Secures Significant New Investment from World-Class Investor Group and Appoints Prem Akkaraju as CEO". stability.ai. 25 June 2024.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (17 October 2022). "Stability AI, the startup behind Stable Diffusion, raises $101M". TechCrunch.
- ^ Deutscher, Maria (25 June 2024). "Stability AI appoints new CEO and closes funding round reportedly worth $80M". SiliconANGLE.
- ^ a b Wiggers, Kyle (25 June 2024). "Stability AI lands a lifeline from Sean Parker, Greycroft". TechCrunch.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (24 Sep 2024). "James Cameron Joins Stability AI Board of Directors". Variety.
- ^ "Director James Cameron explains why he is joining Stability AI's board of directors". CNBC. 24 Sep 2024.
- ^ Kerner, Sean Michael (5 June 2024). "Stability AI debuts new Stable Audio Open for sound design". VentureBeat.
- ^ Brittain, Blake (February 7, 2023). "Getty Images lawsuit says Stability AI misused photos to train AI". Reuters. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
