Welcome Anthropic as a Corporate Patron sponsor of the Blender Foundation’s Development Fund! This support will be dedicated towards general Blender core development. More details at https://www.blender.org/press/anthropic-joins-the-blender-development-fund-as-corporate-patron/
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We hear your concerns around how Blender relates to AI topics.
Here is an update regarding upcoming Blender Development Fund and AI Policies: https://www.blender.org/news/upcoming-blender-development-fund-and-ai-policies/
Write this down and remember it:
"Blender is a tool for artists and creators, it’s made by humans for humans. No generative AI functionality is currently available or planned to be integrated in Blender."
We shall see how it holds up.
From reading the comments seems like there are still questions.
Is generative AI code used or permitted to be used in Blender development?
Are integrations between Blender and AI companies permitted?
Are Ai companies going to be able to train their models on Blender user's content?
@mastodonmigration I'm sorry that I keep being critical about this, but I really feel like I have to point out that these questions hardly make sense
> Is generative AI code used or permitted to be used in Blender development?
It's impossibile to determine for sure whether a PR contains AI generated code. Any big FOSS project will contain AI generated code pretty soon, regardless of it's policy.
> Are integrations between Blender and AI companies permitted?
Blender exposes an Python (1/2)
@mastodonmigration @Blender For second qn, early in 2022 someone created a Stable Diffusion plugin for Blender and you could generate stuff (I think it was only textures). I toyed with it for a few days (I believe like every other artist checking out the new fad) but eventually removed it. (This was on user end, though. Not development. But someone could fork blender and use AI..)
For the third question BF has no control over user content, or even access to it unless the users send it to them.
@Blender I want to say I appreciate how difficult & scary this would've been to walk back. Thank you for that!
@Blender A turn in the right direction, but you need to walk that path all the way. You're still taking money from an AI company that's helping destroy the internet, our culture, and the environment. That's not acceptable. Not even once.
@Blender Disappointing to read, not only as someone that taught Blender in several countries, broadly promoting it as a cultural good way back when the project was still building its audience.
Please understand there are no companies as culturally parasitic and destructive as Anthropic. It would be less ethically bankrupt to take money from a gangster.
It is painfully foolish to pretend this is anything akin to sponsorship.
@Blender This going how you thought?
@Blender I don't begrudge any FOSS org from shaking pennies out of corporate couch cushions so to speak to keep the lights on, *but there's something real ick* about taking money from a source that is hellbent on destroying FOSS communities—and worst, allowing their slop to enter your codebase. 🤢
@Blender perhaps not
@Blender blender has been the biggest success story in FOSS since Linux. Why do this? Are there no actual artists or creators involved in these decisions?
Anthropic is also significantly involved with war and violence. Does the project accept those kind of sponsors now?
I feel like accepting this sponsorship is going to have knock on effects for the project that go much further than the size of the cheque you’ll get - you’re damaging trust, not just with the users ( not that the project leadership cares about what users/artists think, clearly ) but with devs and the people who contribute to the project. They’re not dumb, and they don’t have to donate their time if they don’t feel the project deserves it
> In these uncertain and divisive times, we appreciate Anthropic offering support to the Blender project [...]
I wanted to write some thoughtful reply to that, but you know what..
Simply, fuck off.
@Blender so sorry to hear about the collapse of this project. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours.
@Blender Uh so, you are taking money from a company that enables war crimes, destroys our planet, destroys our society and steals from the very ppl that made blender successful, the art community?
No matter how it's "worded", this should be declined and Antropic be told to… to put it politely to just go away. So if Palantir comes waving with money, you'd accept that as well?
@Blender Just please don't add AI slop into Blender
It may not be tomorrow but, yeah...
All right, Francesco here - CEO at Blender. I'm going to spend some time to try and respond. If you have direct questions or comments, reply here!
Why take corporate money? Why take THIS corporate money? Why not throw this out to the Blender community at large and include them in this decision BEFORE accepting this money? The complete disregard for user's very valid concerns with regard to AI and especially Anthropic AI money in a beloved FOSS project is insulting in the current world. How could you not foresee the blowback?
@noondlyt Blender has accepted a lot of corporate funding over the years. In the press release we try to make it clear that this donation will be used at Blender's discretion, but the origin of the donation is very much not appreciated ideed.
And this is how they benefit. This was the trade off. No one wants this except Anthropic.
@fsiddi sure, I'll bite.
1). Did you do any market research whatsoever before deciding to tank your reputation?
2). Are you planning to use Claude to draft your resignation letter in light of how badly you screwed up?
I definitely got some negative feedback , comparable to past corporate memberships. Which is normal, and once clarifying that this is just a donation, there was understanding.
@fsiddi @titania Just a donation, right? RIGHT?
So I guess this announcement from today is completely unrelated:
@fsiddi
1. Why even accept donations from a company that isn't profitable?
2. How come you didn't realize the PR disaster?
@Blender this is a big fail. Really deeply disappointed in Blender as a project and organization for taking blood money like this.
Note: partially reworded the social media announcement so it sounds less tone-deaf about the controversial nature of the membership.
@Blender It's not the announcement, that's tone-deaf. It's the actual acceptance of dirty money by a bad actor that's tone-deaf.
Just in case you forgot: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y4jpg922qo
They paid $1.5bn because they were IRREFUTABLY CAUGHT PIRATING.
@Blender Didn't reword the whitewashing paean to the corporation on your website, though. You'd whitewash anyone.
Pathetic.
