The assets on this site are produced using image generation AI. "Is it safe to use AI-generated images at work?" is a fair question, so here is what is currently established, what tends to cause problems in practice, and what we do about it.
Where the rules stand
In Japan, the Legal System Subcommittee of the Copyright Subdivision of the Council for Cultural Affairs compiled "General Understanding on AI and Copyright in Japan" in March 2024, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs published it. A checklist and guidance document on AI and copyright followed in July of the same year. These are currently the most widely referenced official treatments of the relationship between generative AI and copyright.
Case law is still thin, and on some questions the interpretation has not fully settled. This article does not offer a legal conclusion. If you are unsure, we recommend consulting the documents above or a specialist.
In practice, what matters is what the image contains
Whether an image was generated by AI tends to matter less, in practice, than what the generated image actually contains. An image that resembles an existing character or a real person, contains a shape close to a company logo or trademark, or copies a particular artist's style wholesale will cause trouble regardless of how it was produced.
AI-made images also have flaws of their own: illegible text drawn onto signs or documents, signature-like scribbles in a corner of the picture, symbols that look like logos slipping in. Looking over every corner of an image once before you use it is the same step as with any other asset, but with AI-generated assets, pay particular attention to text and symbols.
What we do
- Avoid problems at generation time: prompts are designed to avoid existing characters, public figures, brand logos, trademarks, and imitation of a specific artist's style. Text and logo-like shapes are explicitly excluded during generation
- Human review before publication: generated images are never published automatically. Every image is checked by eye, one at a time, in our admin screen, and only approved images go live. Automatic approval based on quality scores is disabled, because we judged the scoring not reliable enough
- Withdraw what we find after publication: even so, fake text or signature-like scribbles are sometimes missed and published. When we went back over assets while writing guide articles, we found images like that and withdrew them. We withdraw any others in the same way as soon as we find them
Do you need to disclose that it is AI-generated?
You may be asked to make clear that something is AI-generated. Some platforms ask you to label AI-generated content when you post; where that applies, follow their instructions. Every asset on this site is AI-generated, so you can declare it as such without further checking.
Usage terms
Our assets are free for both personal and commercial use. No attribution is required and editing is allowed. We prohibit redistributing or selling the assets themselves, registering them as trademarks, using them for purposes that violate public order and morals, and bulk collection as AI training data. Points to check, including for other sites' assets, are covered in “ 5 Things to Check Before Using Free Assets Commercially”.
As stated in our disclaimer, we accept no liability for damages arising from use of the assets. For anything critical, please check the content yourself before using it.
If you notice a problem
If you think an asset resembles an existing work, or has something like text drawn into it, please tell us through the contact form. We will look into it and stop publishing the asset if we judge that necessary.
Sources
- Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan): AI and Copyright (in Japanese)
Information as of September 2026, when this article was written.