Shutterstocks’ partnership with Lightricks is the first of a new data licensing approach that builds new ways for training AI models

Lightricks, a global leader of AI-powered creative technology, announced it is partnering with Shutterstock, Inc. to license and use Shutterstock’s extensive video asset library. This collaboration will empower Lightricks to train its open-source video generation model, LTX Video (LTXV), using high-quality HD and 4K video assets. Lightricks is the first global partner to train on Shutterstock’s industry-first “research license,” a unique option that reduces the entry barrier for open-source model training.

“Our innovative research license empowers partners to train AI models using trusted, licensed data from the start.”

Leveraging the research license model mirrors Lightrick’s vision to expand access to creative tools, while driving high quality generative AI results ensure creators’ have protection for their content from the outset. By first integrating a research licence, startups and AI companies can build and refine AI tools on premium, licensed data before making a larger commitment in a full commercial license. This approach also offers a cost-effective path to accessing high-quality data at the research and development stage, addressing a key challenge many new or established companies may face in training AI models.

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“This long-term partnership with Shutterstock marks a strategic milestone for us, building on our licensing initiatives from the past year, including agreements with major broadcasters and key content providers.” said Zeev Farbman, Co-founder and CEO of Lightricks. “At our core, we’re committed to building powerful, accessible creative tools. This collaboration not only enhances our ability to train AI models with premium, diverse video data, but also elevates the quality and relevance of our generative video tools for our growing community of professional creators and enterprises.”

This partnership also continues Lightricks’ AI mission to drive access to creative tools, while driving high-quality generative AI results. By incorporating Shutterstock-licensed video data, Lightricks strengthens its training models, ensuring they are built on robust, industry-recognized datasets that respect the creativity of filmmakers and broadcasters. This announcement follows Lightricks’ release of LTXV 0.9 to the open-source community in November 2024. By leveraging Shutterstock’s premium HD and 4K video data, Lightricks aims to prioritize quality in its next model update, enhancing results for users while advancing its open-source initiatives.

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“With our innovative research license model, we empower partners to train their AI models using trusted, licensed data from the start,” said Daniel Mandell, Global Head of Data Licensing & AI at Shutterstock. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Lightricks on their cutting-edge video tools and remain committed to delivering the data assets they need to achieve long-term success.”

Shutterstock’s expansive library—consisting of more than one billion royalty-free assets, including images, videos, music, 3D models, templates, and more—provides one of the largest and most diverse global media datasets available for multimodal model training.