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
The stock-image house has unveiled a “research licence” for the training of open-source AI models, which it hopes will be a springboard into commercial licences as partners develop their businesses. “By first integrating a research licence, startups and AI companies can build and refine AI tools on premium, licensed data before making a larger commitment in a full commercial licence,” is how Shutterstock described it.
Source: Shutterstock launches a ‘research licence’ for GenAI companies
A “clean” image and video generation model, trained exclusively on “ethically sourced” data, is being positioned for enterprise-grade productions in Hollywood next year as an alternative to offerings from tech giants accused of data scraping. The new model, dubbed “Marey,” after early cinema pioneer Étienne-Jules Marey, will be available in January or February 2025.
Source: ‘Clean’ AI Video Model to Launch in Early 2025 Targeting Hollywood Clients (EXCLUSIVE)
Like many organizations in the music industry, Merlin supports “AI products that aid human creativity, or provide new opportunities for artists to create and collaborate in developing new original works,” wrote the organization in a mission statement shared with Billboard. But it strongly opposes “any product, regardless of its purpose, that has been trained on Merlin members’ music without permission.”
Music AI, an AI-powered audio technology company, has partnered with Audible Magic to help film and TV companies manage music licensing. Through Music AI’s cinematic stem separation technology, users will be able to break down video soundtracks into individual components like dialogue, background noise, and music. They will then be able to swap in new music when needed.
Source: Music AI partners with Audible Magic to create music-swapping tool for TV, video and film
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
The rosiest outlook on AI deployment envisions an invigoration of the production landscape by bringing down costs in areas related to conceptualization, visual effects and animation, just to name a few. The trade-off? Chunks of the Hollywood workforce gone, mostly those in postproduction who are staring down the barrel of potential automation.
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
The Writers Guild of America‘s east and west chapters have sent a strongly-worded letter to the heads of the major Hollywood studios, criticizing them for inaction as artificial intelligence appears to be taking copy-written scripts and using it to “plagiarize stolen works.” The WGA officers go on to criticize the studios for doing “nothing to stop this theft. They have allowed tech companies to plunder entire libraries without permission or compensation.”
The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) has become an imperative in the evolving landscape of book publishing. As our industry grows ever more digital and interconnected, ISNI’s role in ensuring accurate identification and the attribution of works to contributors—including authors, editors, illustrators, translators, agents, and organizations—has shifted from a technical utility to a strategic necessity.
Source: The Role of ISNI in Book Publishing: Enabling Accuracy, Discoverability, and Collaboration