It is no secret that copyright-protected creative works (including newspaper articles, novels, music and images) are being used to train generative AI models. The issues are complex, but the battle lines are clearly drawn. Creatives are lobbying governments to protect their rights, in what many see as an existential threat to the future of creativity itself. The widely publicized Statement on AI Training, with over 30,000 signatories including high-profile writers, actors, and academics has brought growing public attention to the perspective of creators on the topic.
On the other side, AI companies are pushing for maximum freedoms to allow algorithms to train on existing material to ‘turbo-charge’ innovation. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella likened AI training to learning a topic from a textbook, arguing that companies should be given free rights over data to train their models. Like many countries, the UK government is in the spotlight as it works to see how it can reconcile the conflicting interests of groups that want to shape the legislation governing this rapidly developing area.
