In this guide · 8 sections
- 01AI image tools for business: commercial use compared
- 02What each tool's licence actually says
- 03Indemnities: who pays if someone sues
- 04AI images and copyright in Singapore
- 05A brand-safe workflow for product photos and ads
- 06Which AI image tool suits which business
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Yes, with conditions. Canva, ChatGPT and Adobe Firefly say you own or may commercially use your outputs; Midjourney requires Pro or Mega for companies with over US$1 million in yearly revenue. In Singapore, copyright needs a human author, so a purely AI-made image may not be protected.
AI image tools for business: commercial use compared
Each vendor's own terms decide what you may do with an image. The table summarises them as of October 2026. It is a plain-English summary, not legal advice; read the linked terms before a large campaign.
| Tool | Who owns the output | Commercial use | IP indemnity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva (Magic Media and other AI tools) | You, except outputs built on Canva library content | Yes | Canva Shield, for eligible Enterprise customers |
| ChatGPT image generation (OpenAI) | You; OpenAI assigns its rights to you | Yes | Enterprise and API customers only, with exclusions |
| Adobe Firefly (Adobe models) | You, under Adobe's terms | Yes, for non-beta features | Qualifying enterprise and team plans only |
| Midjourney | Paid members; Pro or Mega needed above US$1m revenue | Yes on paid plans | None published |
Sources: Canva AI Product Terms, OpenAI Terms of Use and Service Terms, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney plan comparison.
What each tool's licence actually says
Canva
Canva's AI Product Terms say that, between you and Canva, you own your output, except output that modifies or incorporates Canva's licensed library content. If you use AI to edit a stock photo from the Canva library, you do not own the result; the library licence applies instead. Our Canva vs Adobe Express guide compares the two design tools on price and features.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
OpenAI's Terms of Use say you own the output and OpenAI assigns to you whatever rights it has in it, to the extent the law allows. The words 'if any' matter: OpenAI cannot give you a copyright that the law does not recognise. Business details for ChatGPT seats are in our ChatGPT Business pricing guide.
Adobe Firefly
Adobe says its own Firefly models are trained on licensed content such as Adobe Stock and public domain content where copyright has expired, which is why it calls them commercially safe. Firefly now also offers partner models from Google, OpenAI and others. Those are not Adobe-trained, so check the terms for the model you picked.
Midjourney
Midjourney's plan page says anyone who has subscribed may use their images 'in just about any way you want', but a company making more than US$1,000,000 a year in gross revenue must buy the Pro or Mega plan. Images on Basic and Standard plans are public in Midjourney's gallery by default; Stealth Mode, which keeps them private, is on Pro and Mega only. Listed prices are US$10, US$30, US$60 and US$120 a month (approximate, as of October 2026).
Indemnities: who pays if someone sues
An indemnity is a promise that the vendor will defend you and pay certain costs if a third party claims your AI image infringes their rights. It is separate from permission to use the image.
- Adobe offers IP indemnification for Firefly outputs to customers on qualifying enterprise plans that include the entitlement. Its enterprise legal FAQ excludes claims arising from your own modifications and from material you combine with the output.
- Canva says Canva Shield indemnifies eligible Enterprise customers for content designed with its AI products, at no extra cost.
- OpenAI's Service Terms give an output indemnity to Enterprise and API customers, excluding cases where the output was modified or combined with other products, or where you knew or should have known it was infringing. Trademark claims are also excluded.
- Midjourney publishes no indemnity for customers.
AI images and copyright in Singapore
Two questions matter: can you be sued for using an AI image, and can you stop others copying it?
On the second, Singapore requires a human author. MinLaw's August 2026 consultation paper states that a work made with AI involvement is protected only if it is made by a human and reflects enough human intellectual effort, and that autonomously generated AI output is generally not protected. A product photo you typed one prompt for may therefore be free for a competitor to copy.
On training, the Copyright Act 2021 has a computational data analysis exception (section 244) that allows copying works to train AI, with conditions such as lawful access. The same paper notes that this exception does not cover infringing outputs when a model is used, so a business that publishes an image too close to an existing work can still face a claim.
A brand-safe workflow for product photos and ads
This workflow keeps the parts that matter human-made and the risky parts out of your marketing.
Photograph the real product yourself
Use AI for backgrounds, lighting and props, not for the product. Customers expect the product in the photo to be the product they receive.
Use a paid, company-owned account
Generate business images on a company account, not a staff member's personal login, so you keep the history and the licence. Pick the Midjourney plan that matches your revenue.
Write neutral prompts
Describe the scene. Do not name living artists, photographers, brands, characters or real people.
Edit and combine with your own work
Add your own photos, layout, text and brand assets. Human creative choices strengthen your claim to copyright in the final design.
Check before you publish
Run a reverse image search on hero images and ads, zoom in for garbled logos or text, and check hands, labels and packaging.
Keep a simple record
Save the prompt, tool, date and the edits you made. It helps if a platform or a rights holder ever asks where an image came from.
For online stores, real photos still matter most on product pages; AI works well for lifestyle banners and social posts. If you sell on Shopify, our guide to what a Shopify store costs in Singapore covers photography and theme costs alongside apps.
Which AI image tool suits which business
| Your situation | Usually the better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Social posts and flyers made by non-designers | Canva | AI sits inside the editor with your brand kit |
| Agency or in-house designer on Creative Cloud | Adobe Firefly | Adobe-trained models and Photoshop integration |
| Quick concept images and mock-ups | ChatGPT | Works in the same chat staff already use for writing |
| Stylised campaign art and moodboards | Midjourney (Pro or Mega for larger firms) | Dedicated image and video tool; Stealth Mode keeps work private |
We have not run our own image tests. Quality changes with every model release, so try the same three prompts from your real work on each tool's free or trial tier before you pay.
Do it yourself or get help?
Most small businesses can create good social and banner images themselves with the workflow above. Help is worth it when images go onto a website or store that has to look consistent and load fast.
Business Website (S$1,490) builds a site on accounts you own, with images optimised for speed. Shopify Store (S$1,890) sets up your store, product pages and collections. We use licensed or client-supplied images and tell you which, if any, are AI-generated.
Frequently asked questions
Generally yes. Canva, OpenAI and Adobe all allow commercial use of images you generate on their tools, and Midjourney allows it on paid plans, with Pro or Mega required for companies above US$1 million in yearly revenue. You remain responsible if an image infringes someone else's rights, so avoid prompts naming brands, artists or real people.
The tools assign you whatever rights they have, but Singapore copyright requires a human author. MinLaw's 2026 consultation paper says autonomously generated AI output is generally not protected, while AI-assisted work can be if enough human creativity shows in the result. Editing, combining and arranging images yourself strengthens your position.
Adobe trains its own Firefly models on licensed and public domain content and offers IP indemnification on qualifying enterprise plans. Midjourney publishes no customer indemnity. For a small business without an enterprise contract, neither tool takes on your legal risk, but Firefly's training data is better documented.
Midjourney says companies, or employees of companies, making more than US$1,000,000 a year in gross revenue must subscribe to the Pro or Mega plan. Smaller businesses can use Basic or Standard commercially. Images on those plans are public in Midjourney's gallery unless you use Stealth Mode, which is only on Pro and Mega.
Yes, as long as the tool's licence allows commercial use and the ad follows the platform's ad policies. Show the real product, not an AI version that looks better than what you sell. Run a reverse image search on ad images, and do not imitate brands, artists or recognisable people.