Is Stable Diffusion Safe?

Stable Diffusion's safety is questionable, keep reading as we explore why

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AI art generators, like Stable Diffusion, are increasingly fun to use. But, is Stable Diffusion safe?

These models work by using a simple text prompt to create realistic AI-generated images. The main examples of AI art generators include DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion, among many others.

We know that these models are fun and exciting to use. But, one thing to ponder is whether they are even safe or have any possible severe outcomes. Continue reading below to find out more.

Is Stable Diffusion safe for regular use?

The latest version of Stable Diffusion is an open-source program that gives users the freedom to use it however they want. Despite being extremely fun and impressive, it still has some notable risks if used for the wrong reasons.

Since it is open-source, its code and license are open for general access. Stable Diffusion has been widely distributed. Now any member of the public can create potentially harmful and dangerous images.

Interestingly, security and law enforcement organizations have seen around a 40% increase in explicit image content. And tools like Stable Diffusion could make this type of image creation easier than ever.

All is not lost, though. Stable Diffusion does come with a safety filter to prevent explicit content creation. The safety filter can prevent harmful content, but it still sometimes fails to ignore violence, gore, and other disturbing images.

According to those who use Stable Diffusion, this safety filter can be confusing and poorly documented. Making it hard for anyone implementing this tool to prevent their users from mistreating the bot.

Moreover, some people can easily create harmful content that can bypass these safety filters – unfortunately.

Therefore, the developers of Stable Diffusion must pay close attention to improving this feature. We hope that upcoming versions of the model will be upgraded otherwise it could pose a serious threat to users.

Can I use Stable Diffusion for commercial use?

In short, yes. Stability AI has released Stable Diffusion under a permissive license. This means users can use the model to generate images for commercial and non-commercial purposes, keeping to Stability AI’s policy for commercial use, of course.

Conclusion

Stable Diffusion’s safety and security remain questionable, especially now that it is an open-source program. Individual users have freedom over their use, codes, or license in any way desired.

Now, anyone can take advantage of this model in any way possible. This opens the door to threats and needs to be addressed in the future.

Kevin is the Editor of PC Guide. He has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs and all things consumer tech - and more than 15 years experience in tech journalism.