The debate over the use of copyrighted materials in AI training systems continues – as does the uncertainty about which works the AI actually draws data from. US Congressman Adam Schiff is attempting to answer the latter by introducing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act on April 9th. billboard Reports. The bill requires AI companies to identify any copyrighted work in their records.
“AI has the disruptive potential to change our economy, our political system and our daily lives. We must balance the immense potential of AI with the critical need for ethical guidelines and safeguards,” Congressman Schiff said in a statement. He added that the bill “promotes innovation while protecting the rights and contributions of creators and ensuring they are clear when their work contributes to AI training datasets.” It’s about respecting creativity in the age of AI and combining technological advancement with fairness.” Organizations such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SAG-AFTRA and WGA have shown their support for the bill.
If the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is passed, companies would be required to register all relevant data uses with the copyright registry at least 30 days before publicly launching the AI tool. They would also need to retroactively provide the same information to all existing tools and make updates if they significantly changed records. Otherwise, the Copyright Office would impose a fine. The exact amount depends on the size of the company and previous violations. To be clear, this would not prevent AI creators from using copyrighted works, but it would provide transparency about what materials they come from. The lack of clarity about its use was clearly expressed in a March Bloomberg Interview with OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, who claimed she wasn’t sure whether the Sora tool pulled data from YouTube, Facebook or Instagram posts.
The bill could even provide a clearer picture for companies and artists when speaking out against or suing for copyright infringement – a fairly common occurrence. Take the New York Times, which sued OpenAI and Microsoft for using their articles to train chatbots without agreement or compensation, or Sarah Silverman, who sued OpenAI (a frequent defendant) and Meta for using their books and other works to Used to train their AI models.
There are also calls for AI protection from the entertainment industry. AI regulation was a major sticking point in last year’s SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, and only ended when detailed policies around AI were incorporated into their contracts. SAG-AFTRA recently expressed support for California laws requiring consent from actors to use their avatars and from heirs to create AI versions of deceased people. It’s no surprise that Congressman Schiff represents California’s 30th District, which includes Hollywood, Burbank and Universal City.
Musicians join their creative colleagues: Over 200 artists signed an open letter in April calling for the protection of AI. The Guardian reported. “This attack on human creativity must be stopped,” said the letter from the Artist Rights Alliance. “We must protect ourselves from the predatory use of AI to steal the voices and likenesses of professional artists, violate the rights of creators and destroy the music ecosystem.” Billie Eilish, Jon Bon Jovi and Pearm Jam were among the signatories.