Can I train an AI model on CC BY images?

Short answer: Model training: Needs review.

CC BY 4.0 grants broad rights to reproduce and adapt, with attribution.

Model training: Needs review

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0, curated)

• Creative Commons licenses grant rights to reproduce and adapt the material, with conditions that apply when it or an adaptation is shared. Whether training a model creates an adaptation, and how attribution applies to a trained model or its output, is not settled; Creative Commons notes that training may also fall under exceptions such as fair use. A human reviewer should confirm this use for your case.

Duties: attribution, license_notice, state_changes, no_additional_restrictions

Context

• Whether a trained model is an adaptation, and how attribution applies to it, is unsettled; Rightshold marks training for review instead of guessing.

Sources

• CC BY 4.0 legal code
• Creative Commons on AI training

Check it yourself (free, no key)

{
  "tool": "check_license",
  "arguments": {
    "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
    "intended_use": {
      "model_training": true
    }
  }
}

Computed from Rightshold's license profiles; not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-19. JSON · Markdown