Civitai

Last updated
Civitai
Company typePrivate company
Industry Artificial intelligence
Founded2022;3 years ago (2022)
FoundersJustin Maier
HeadquartersBoise, Idaho
Website civitai.com

Civitai is an online platform and marketplace for generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) content, primarily focused on AI-generated images and models, and AI-generated videos.

Contents

History

Civitai was founded in 2022 by Justin Maier. [1] [2] By January 2023, the site reached 100,000 registered users and 3 million by November. [2] In November 2023, Civitai secured funding from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. [2] By April 2024, Civitai had 23.2 million monthly accesses. [3]

The company is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. [4]

Platform

Civitai allows users to share and download AI models, particularly those used for image generation. [2] The platform supports various AI models, including Stable Diffusion and Flux, and provides a space for users to showcase and monetize their AI-generated content. [2] [5] Users have profile pages and can comment on other users' models and images. [6]

The website also features a virtual currency called Buzz that can be used to generate images on Civitai's servers. [7] Buzz can be bought or earned by engaging with the site. [7]

The platform is open source. [8] [9]

Controversies and censorship

In 2023, 404 Media reported that Civitai began a "Bounties" marketplace where users could commission deepfakes, of real or fake people. [10] [7] Users are rewarded with Buzz for completing Bounties. [7]

In December 2023, AI provider OctoML announced it had ended its business relationship with Civitai after concerns were raised users were generating images that “could be categorized as child pornography.” [11]

Since July 25, 2025, the platform was shut down in the UK in response to the Online Safety Act. This is because they're a small team that does not have the budget or manpower to decode and implement safety features, including age verification. Anyone in the UK visiting the website will see a message saying the platform is no longer available in that country.

References

  1. ↑ Gorwa, Robert; Veale, Michael (2 July 2024). "Moderating model marketplaces: platform governance puzzles for AI intermediaries". Law, Innovation and Technology. 16 (2): 341–391. arXiv: 2311.12573 . doi:10.1080/17579961.2024.2388914. ISSN   1757-9961.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Perez, Sarah (14 November 2023). "Andreessen Horowitz backs Civitai, a generative AI content marketplace with millions of users". TechCrunch.
  3. ↑ Yamamoto, Hirofumi; Iwasawa, Akinobu; Yamada, Toru; Sakai, Sotaro; Senzaki, Ryohei; Nakagawa, Marina; Miyashita, Hiroyuki; Kida, Kazuhiro; Kobayashi, Ken (Jun 6, 2024). "AI anime flood - An infringement investigation of 90,000 images". Nikkei Asia.
  4. ↑ Goldman, Sharon (6 December 2023). "Civitai founder champions open source, downplays AI deepfake porn". VentureBeat.
  5. ↑ Zeman, Benjamin (4 December 2024). "How to build basic workflows in ComfyUI". XDA.
  6. ↑ Wei, Yiluo; Zhu, Yiming; Hui, Pan; Tyson, Gareth (28 October 2024). "Exploring the Use of Abusive Generative AI Models on Civitai". Proceedings of the 32nd ACM International Conference on Multimedia. pp. 6949–6958. arXiv: 2407.12876 . doi:10.1145/3664647.3681052. ISBN   979-8-4007-0686-8.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Maiberg, Emanuel (13 November 2023). "Giant AI Platform Introduces 'Bounties' for Deepfakes of Real People". 404 Media.
  8. ↑ De Rosa Palmini, Maria-Teresa; Wagner, Laura Juliane (31 October 2024). "Surface Aesthetics: The Secret Formula of Prompting". Rrrreflect. Journal of Integrated Design Research (1). doi:10.57684/COS-1268.
  9. ↑ "civitai". GitHub. 9 December 2024.
  10. ↑ Tenbarge, Kat (24 April 2024). "Top AI companies commit to child safety principles as industry grapples with deepfake scandals". NBC News.
  11. ↑ Macdonald, Cheyenne (9 December 2023). "Controversial AI image platform Civitai dropped by its cloud computing provider after reports of possible CSAM". Engadget.
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