Artificial Intelligence Developers Illegally Scraping Copyrighted Material, Claims News Industry Group
The News Media Alliance (NMA) has published a white paper and submitted a statement to the United States Copyright Office, accusing artificial intelligence (AI) developers of relying on illegally scraped copyrighted material from news publications and journalists to train their models. The NMA claims that AI models use a significant amount of news publisher content compared to other sources, resulting in copyright infringement and competition between news outlets and AI models. The NMA argues that while news publishers take on risks and make investments, AI developers reap the rewards in terms of users, data, brand creation, and advertising dollars.
Setbacks Faced by Publishers
In addition to copyright infringement, the NMA highlights reduced revenues, employment opportunities, and damaged relationships with viewers as setbacks faced by publishers. The NMA recommends that the Copyright Office declare using a publication’s content to monetize AI systems as harmful to publishers. They also call for licensing models and transparency measures to restrict the use of copyrighted materials. Furthermore, the NMA suggests adopting measures to remove protected content from third-party websites.
Benefits and Criticism of Generative AI
The NMA acknowledges the benefits of generative AI for publications and journalists, including proofreading, idea generation, and search engine optimization. However, training methods for AI models have faced criticism and legal challenges due to copyright infringement claims. Comedian Sarah Silverman sued OpenAI and Meta for using her copyrighted work without permission. Both OpenAI and Google have been hit with separate class-action suits over allegations of scraping private user information from the internet.
Legal Responsibility Assumed by Google
Google has stated that it will assume legal responsibility if its customers are accused of copyright infringement for using its generative AI products on Google Cloud and Workspace. However, this legal protection promise does not cover Google’s Bard search tool. OpenAI and Google have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Hot Take: AI Developers Must Respect Copyright Laws
The reliance of artificial intelligence developers on illegally scraping copyrighted material from news publications and journalists is a concerning issue. While AI offers many benefits to publishers and journalists, it is crucial for developers to respect copyright laws and obtain proper permissions for using copyrighted content. The News Media Alliance’s call for licensing models, transparency measures, and the removal of protected content from third-party websites is a step in the right direction to protect the rights of news publishers. It is essential for AI developers to find ethical and legal ways to train their models without infringing on the intellectual property of others.
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