Civitai

Last updated
Civitai
Company typePrivate company
Industry Artificial intelligence
Founded2022;2 years ago (2022)
FoundersJustin Maier
HeadquartersBoise, Idaho
Website civitai.com

Civitai is an online platform and marketplace for generative AI content, primarily focused on AI-generated images and models.

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 an 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

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

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References

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  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. 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.