The new F-Lite image model

The release of F Lite marks a significant step in the ongoing debate surrounding the use of copyrighted data in training AI models for generative purposes. While tools like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney have garnered widespread acclaim, they have also faced criticism from artists and rights holders who claim their work has been used without consent.

Freepik's approach with F Lite addresses this issue by leveraging its extensive library of licensed assets, which includes millions of graphics, stock photos, and illustrations. By training the model on this curated dataset, the company aims to provide users with a tool that generates visuals while respecting intellectual property rights.

?Excited to announce F Lite: a new open-source text-to-image model by @freepik and @FAL! The first at this scale that’s both open-source and trained exclusively on licensed, high-quality data.?

— Iván de Prado (@ivanprado) April 29, 2025

Powerful Hardware Requirements

Despite its potential benefits, running F Lite requires significant computing resources. The model demands a high-end GPU with at least 24GB of VRAM, effectively limiting its accessibility to users with powerful workstations or access to cloud computing services. This hardware requirement highlights the computational complexity involved in generating high-quality visuals using AI models.

Alejandro Pascual, Freepik's Chief Product Officer, acknowledged this limitation, stating, "While we aimed to make F Lite accessible to as many users as possible, the reality is that generating visuals with this level of detail and quality requires immense computational power."

Ethical Considerations and Future Plans

Beyond the technical aspects, Freepik's approach with F Lite also raises important ethical questions. While the use of licensed data addresses copyright concerns, there are broader societal implications surrounding the proliferation of AI-generated content and its potential impact on human creativity and the creative industries.

Pascual acknowledged these challenges and stated that Freepik is actively working on initiatives to support and empower human artists. "We believe that AI should be a tool to augment and enhance human creativity, not replace it," he said. "Our goal is to foster a symbiotic relationship between human artists and AI, where each complements the other's strengths."

Looking ahead, Freepik plans to continuously improve F Lite's capabilities while exploring new ways to integrate it into the company's existing design tools and platforms. The company also intends to engage with the creative community, seeking feedback and input to ensure that F Lite evolves in an ethical and responsible manner.

AUTHOR

Conner Brown

Conner is the founder of Piknu. He is a software engineer and entrepreneur who loves to travel take photos and write about it while learning new things.