Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement

Darth Vader (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have enter the legal battle over generative AI.

Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute “endless unauthorised copies” of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me.