Artificial intelligence (AI) developers are reportedly relying heavily on illegally scraping copyrighted material from news publications and journalists to train their models, according to a report by the News Media Alliance (NMA). The NMA published a white paper and submitted it to the United States Copyright Office, outlining how AI models use significantly more news publisher content compared to other sources. This practice not only infringes on copyright but also puts news outlets in direct competition with AI models.
The NMA argues that while news publishers make investments and take on risks, AI developers reap the rewards, including users, data, brand creation, and advertising dollars. This unequal distribution of benefits leads to reduced revenues, employment opportunities, and damaged relationships with viewers for the publishers. To address these issues, the NMA recommends that the Copyright Office declares the use of publication content to monetize AI systems as harmful to publishers. The group also calls for various licensing models and transparency measures to restrict the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials. Furthermore, they suggest adopting measures to remove protected content from third-party websites.
The benefits of generative AI are acknowledged by the NMA, which highlights that publications and journalists can utilize AI for proofreading, idea generation, and search engine optimization. However, there have been criticisms regarding the methods used to train these AI models, with several cases facing copyright infringement claims in court.
For instance, comedian Sarah Silverman sued OpenAI and Meta in July, alleging that they had used her copyrighted work to train their AI systems without permission. OpenAI and Google have faced separate class-action lawsuits claiming they scraped private user information from the internet. While Google has committed to assuming legal responsibility for potential copyright infringement by its customers using generative AI products on Google Cloud and Workspace, its Bard search tool is not covered by this promise.
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The unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI developers raises ethical concerns and highlights the need for clearer guidelines and regulations in the field. The NMA’s efforts to bring attention to this issue and propose solutions aim to protect the rights and interests of news publishers and journalists.
In addition to the legal implications, the impact of AI on the news industry and society as a whole is significant. AI-powered chatbots, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Anthropic’s Claude, have become increasingly popular over the past year. However, the controversies surrounding the training methods of these AI models underscore the importance of ensuring that copyright laws are upheld and respected.
Overall, the NMA’s white paper and submission to the Copyright Office shed light on the problematic practices of AI developers in the news industry. By calling for stricter regulations and licensing models, the NMA aims to protect publishers’ interests and foster a fair and sustainable AI ecosystem. The intersection of AI and copyright will continue to be a topic of debate and exploration as technology evolves and legal frameworks adapt to the challenges posed by AI development.
