Shutterstock unveils TRUST, its approach for ethical AI

Shutterstock, Inc. announced TRUST, a guiding framework that embodies Shutterstock’s long-standing values and commitment to using AI responsibly in its products and workflows. TRUST, an acronym for Training, Royalties, Uplift, Safeguards, and Transparency, serves as an action-driven checklist for companies experimenting with AI technologies and reiterates Shutterstock’s lifelong, contributor-centric operating principles, the company said.

TRUST’s commitments include:

• Training on properly licensed data
• Royalties that compensate artists fairly
• Uplift and promote representation that reflects the world
• Safeguards to control content and protect customers
• Transparency by default

“Maintaining the trust of our contributors and customers is at our core, and our TRUST framework affirms the actions we take to support this commitment,” said Dr. Alessandra Sala, Senior Director of AI and Data Science at Shutterstock. “We’ve always trained on properly licensed data, sought out new revenue streams for our contributors and uplifted creators and underrepresented groups. TRUST formalizes these principles in a clear, straightforward approach that others in the industry can follow as they embark on their own responsible AI journeys.”