Civitai: Open Sourcing AI Art

“The home of the open source artist”. Justin Maier and Maxfield Hulker, cofounders of Civitai, share how they transformed a niche idea into a platform with millions of users, fostering a community that shares tools and know-how for creating unique AI art. 

Listen to the podcast episode where they cover topics like balancing monetization with open source principles, incentivizing and rewarding the community, and more: https://a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/...

Stay tuned for more episodes from the AI Artist Retreat series, featuring founders and their cutting-edge AI platforms. Learn more about the AI Artist Retreat on our webpage: https://a16z.com/aiart

Timecodes:
00:00 - The Motivation Behind Civitai
00:40 - The Need for a Dedicated Ecosystem Platform
01:07 - Building the Home of the Open Source Artist
01:40 - DEMO: Generation Data, Community Models and LoRas
02:30 - Fostering Community
02:54 - The Policies and Moderation of AI Art
03:36 - Audits and Semi-Permeable Membrane Technology (SPM)
05:00 - DEMO: Training Data
05:42 - Engaging and Rewarding the Community
06:30 - Innovations and Next Steps

Resources:
Find Justin on Twitter: https://x.com/JustMaier
Find Maxfield on:   / maxfield-hulker-5222aa230  
Learn more about Civitai: https://civitai.com/

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