¶“We don’t have a problem with anyone taking inspiration from Ansel’s photography,” said the Adams estate. “But we strenuously object to the unauthorized use of his name to sell products of any kind, including digital products, and this includes AI-generated output — regardless of whether his name has been used on the input side, or whether a given model has been trained on his work.”

¶Don’t forget, there’s a trademark side to the sale of AI-generated images. The estate of Ansel Adams hasn’t forgotten this, and they recently reminded Adobe about it, too. Adobe’s “we have systems…” response sounds just like every other tech company on such issues. I’m sure they’ll tout the “challenges of scale” at some point.

¶A successful investigation of the pandemic’s root cause would have the power to break a decades-long scientific impasse on pathogen research safety, determining how governments will spend billions of dollars to prevent future pandemics. A credible investigation would also deter future acts of negligence and deceit by demonstrating that it is indeed possible to be held accountable for causing a viral pandemic. Last but not least, people of all nations need to see their leaders — and especially, their scientists — heading the charge to find out what caused this world-shaking event. Restoring public trust in science and government leadership requires it.

¶We definitely need a full and thorough investigation. The success of any investigation, though, probably hinges on the ability and willingness of the investigators to depoliticize the issue. I’m not sure we’re there yet and likely won’t be until the next election cycle is in the rearview mirror.