The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would decide the constitutionality of a law that would effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. if the social-media app doesn’t shed its Chinese ownership. With the ban set to take effect Jan. 19, the court scheduled fast-track oral arguments for Jan. 10 on whether the law violates the First Amendment.
Policy
U.K. Could Grant Artists ‘Right to Personality’ in A.I. Regulation Review
The U.K. government is considering drafting new protections to safeguard artists from generative A.I. models that mimic their unique styles or likenesses, a measure being considered as a “right to personality.” Expected within two years, these regulations aim to address the growing clash between creative industries and A.I. developers over the use of copyrighted material in training algorithms.
Source: U.K. Could Grant Artists ‘Right to Personality’ in A.I. Regulation Review
UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI
Campaigners for the protection of the rights of creatives have criticised a UK government proposal to let artificial intelligence companies train their algorithms on their works under a new copyright exemption. Under the proposals, tech companies will be allowed to freely use copyrighted material to train artificial intelligence models unless creative professionals and companies opt out of the process.
Source: UK proposes letting tech firms use copyrighted work to train AI
Australia Plans Tech-Platform Charge to Shore Up News Media
Australia plans to implement a new charge on the owners of global tech platforms, attempting to shore up local media outlets months after Facebook cut ties with traditional news providers. The government plans to charge platforms that choose not to enter or renew commercial agreements with local news publishers. The charge will apply to large digital platforms irrespective of whether or not they carry news, the government said Thursday.
Source: Australia Plans Tech-Platform Charge to Shore Up News Media
Over 600 Artists Demand UMG Drop Lawsuit vs. Internet Archive
A growing number of musicians have signed a letter organized by Fight for the Future in a campaign demanding UMG and other music labels drop their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, the nonprofit online library best known for the Wayback Machine. Around 630 musicians, including Tegan & Sara, Open Mike Eagle, Amanda Palmer, and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, have signed the letter.
Source: Over 600 Artists Demand UMG Drop Lawsuit vs. Internet Archive
Khan Is Gone: Trump Appoints Andrew Ferguson As Next Chair Of FTC
As major media companies eye consolidation, Ferguson has signaled that he will be more lenient that Lina Khan, the FTC chair under President Joe Biden. Punchbowl News last week reported on a pitch made to Trump’s team for Ferguson, and it included the argument that he would stop Khan’s “war on mergers.” He also said he would “protect freedom of speech and fight wokeness” and that he would “fight back against the trans agenda.”
Source: Donald Trump Appoints Andrew Ferguson As Next Chair Of Federal Trade Commission
Paul McCartney warns AI ‘could take over’ as UK debates copyright laws
Paul McCartney has backed calls for laws to stop mass copyright theft by companies building generative artificial intelligence, warning AI “could just take over.” The former Beatle said it would be “a very sad thing indeed” if young composers and writers could not protect their intellectual property from the rise of algorithmic models, which so far have learned by digesting mountains of copyrighted material.
Source: Paul McCartney warns AI ‘could take over’ as UK debates copyright laws
How the EU AI Act Can Increase Transparency Around AI Training Data
The EU’s AI Act, which went into force earlier this year, provides the most significant opportunity to advance transparency around training data to date. Amongst many other things, it mandates that developers of so-called “general-purpose AI” (GPAI) models — EU lingo for “foundation models” — publish a “sufficiently detailed summary” of the data used to train their models.
Source: How the EU AI Act Can Increase Transparency Around AI Training Data | TechPolicy.Press
Creative bodies press EC on regulation of AI and copyright
A group of organisations representing musicians, authors, visual artists, filmmakers and other creatives have written to the EC’s executive vice-president Henna Virkkunen and commissioner Glenn Micallef to reiterate their key lobbying points on AI. The letter outlines some of the gaps they see in current legislation – for example the ability for rightsholders to reserve their rights when it comes to AI training – and calls for further steps beyond this year’s EU AI Act.
Source: Creative bodies press EC on regulation of AI and copyright
As Washington pivots to full Republican control, outlook uncertain for AI regulations
With artificial intelligence at a pivotal moment of development, the federal government is about to transition from one that prioritized AI safeguards to one more focused on eliminating red tape. That’s a promising prospect for some investors but creates uncertainty about the future of any guardrails on the technology, especially around the use of AI deepfakes in elections and political campaigns.
Source: As U.S. government pivots to full Republican control, the outlook is uncertain for AI regulations