Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin among thousands of British artists used to train AI software, Midjourney

US lawyers approached about class action against Midjourney and other AI firms accused of copyright laundering'

Since the emergence of Midjourney and other image generators, artists have been watching and wondering whether AI is a great opportunity or an existential threat. Now, after a list of 16,000 names emerged of artists whose work Midjourney had allegedly used to train its AI - including Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread, Tracey Emin, David Hockney and Anish Kapoor - the art world has issued a call to arms against the technologists.

British artists have contacted US lawyers to discuss joining a class action against Midjourney and other AI firms, while others have told the Observer that they may bring their own legal action in the UK.