Ziff Davis, the parent company of several digital media brands, filed a lawsuit in Delaware federal court against OpenAI for copyright infringement. In the complaint, the nearly 100-year-old publisher claims the artificial intelligence company has copied its written works verbatim to train the model behind popular chatbot ChatGPT.
Source: OpenAI hit with copyright lawsuit by digital media giant Ziff Davis
Actors are earning good money by licensing their likenesses to AI companies — but some are now regretting it. A growing number of performers have been shocked to discover their likeness being used in ways they find embarrassing, damaging, or even harmful. In many cases, actors who didn’t fully grasp the long-term implications are now speaking out of licensing their image to AI.
Source: Actors are Regretting Licensing Their Likeness to AI Companies
UK licensing bodies have announced a “pioneering” collective license that will allow authors to be paid for the use of their works to train generative AI models. The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) – which is directed by the Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), representing publishers and authors – will develop the license, set to be the first of its kind in the UK.
Source: Collective licence to ensure UK authors get paid for works used to train AI
The MPA and RIAA want to have their say in a crucial third-party Ninth Circuit appeal about the use of DMCA subpoenas against alleged online pirates. Fearing a ruling that could limit their enforcement options, the groups requested speaking time at an upcoming hearing. This intervention, as well as previous commentary from the EFF, which is backed by a new party, underscores the high-stakes nature of the case.
Source: MPA and RIAA Want to be Heard in Crucial DMCA Subpoena Appeal * TorrentFreak
The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has gone into business with artificial-intelligence powerhouse OpenAI. Under the agreement, ChatGPT will display summaries, quotes and links to original reporting from the Washington Post in response to relevant search queries. ChatGPT will featur the Post’s content across politics, global affairs, business, technology and more, “always with clear attribution and direct links to full articles,” the newspaper said.
Source: Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post Inks OpenAI Licensing Deal for ChatGPT Search
With generative AI forging ahead unfettered, leaders in publishing and other creative industries are asking for licensing frameworks that protect creators while enabling technological innovation. New platforms and software are bringing solutions closer. Vered Horesh, chief of strategic AI partnerships at the visual generative AI company Bria.ai described how Bria developed attribution technology that “measures the impact of any authentic asset being provided into the training catalog on any synthetic output being generated.”
Source: As Industry Demands AI Licensing Frameworks, Emerging Tech Can Help
Disc Makers CEO Tony van Veen calculated the ballpark royalties impact of Spotify’s 1,000-stream minimum during 2024. Last year, the exec estimated, emerging talent missed out on about $47 million in would-be recording royalties. On cue, Spotify fired back – including by arguing in more words that the affected tracks receive a small amount of fan interest and (owing mainly to withdrawal minimums) wouldn’t see their recording royalties reach artists in any event.
Source: Spotify Stream Minimum Debate Continues As Exec Claps Back
According to the announcement on Thursday (April 17), the strategic capital raise includes “a structured capital facility” co-led by Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management funds, as well as “separately raised leverage”. Additional terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Goldstate’s new backerAres Management Corporation is a giant of the alternative investment space.
The UK Government’s proposal to allow AI companies to automatically train their models on online content unless the rightsholder specifically opts out has been described as “unworkable”. A range of responses to the Government consultation on its proposed change to the existing copyright regime have been published, with many slamming the potential effect on the media industry.
Source: ‘Unsustainable status quo’: AI companies and publishers respond to Govt copyright consultation
The strongest argument artists can make is that the unfettered advance of AI technologies that experts can neither understand nor control won’t greatly benefit humanity on balance — it’ll harm us. And for that reason, forcing artists to be complicit in the creation of those technologies is inflicting something terrible on them: moral injury. Moral injury is what happens when you feel you’ve been forced to violate your own values.
Source: The real argument artists should be making against AI