HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike a licensing deal to provide access to select nonfiction books for AI training purposes. And so far, authors and agents appear to be approaching the deal with caution and skepticism—if also with a measure of hope. In a statement, Harper representatives confirmed only that the agreement with an undisclosed company will “allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles” for use in training AI models “to improve model quality and performance.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs AI Bills Backed by SAG-AFTRA
California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited SAG-AFTRA headquarters on Monday to sign two bills regulating the use of performances generated by artificial intelligence. The actors’ union lobbied for passage of the legislation, which builds on the protections won during the four-month actors’ strike against the major studios last year.
Source: Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs AI Bills Backed by SAG-AFTRA
DOJ antitrust chief warns AI companies that they must fairly compensate artists
The Justice Department’s chief antitrust enforcer issued a warning Thursday to tech companies working in artificial intelligence, cautioning that they could face action from regulators if they don’t find a way to fairly compensate artists, entertainers and other creators.
Source: DOJ antitrust chief warns AI companies that they must fairly compensate artists
Reddit in AI content licensing deal is with Google
Social media platform Reddit has struck a deal with Google to make its content available for training the search engine giant’s artificial intelligence models, three people familiar with the matter said. The contract with Alphabet-owned Google is worth about $60 million per year, according to one of the sources. Bloomberg previously reported Reddit’s content deal without naming the buyer.Hipgnosis Completes 20,000-Song Selloff — At a Steep Discount
Hipgnosis Songs Fund has completed a 20,000-song selloff, but the involved price tag represents a steep discount to the works’ valuation. In an announcement to the market on Monday (December 11), HSF said that “these non-core songs, which are a subset of those identified as the Second Disposal as set out in September, were bundled with the iconic Songs acquired by the Company in 2020 as part of Kobalt Fund One“.
Source: Hipgnosis Completes 20,000-Song Selloff — At a Steep Discount
As AI Battle Lines Are Drawn, Studios Align With Big Tech in a Risky Bet
Experts question why studios aren’t siding more with actors and writers and against AI companies to oppose what could constitute the mass pilfering of their closely guarded intellectual property. “Studios should be protecting their copyrights,” a WGA member tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s shortsighted, because it demotes them to another source of content for these AI firms.”
Source: As AI Battle Lines Are Drawn, Studios Align With Big Tech in a Risky Bet
Spotify changing how it pays artists starting in 2024
Spotify is planning to make significant changes to its royalty payout model in Q1 2024 – with the intent to move USD $1 billion in royalty payments over the next five years to ‘legitimate’ artists and rightsholders. Spotify has been discussing details of its blueprint for the new royalty model with various music rightsholders in recent weeks.
Streaming’s problems will not be fixed by royalties alone: MIDiA
Source: Streaming’s problems will not be fixed by royalties alone
2 Senators Propose Bipartisan Framework for A.I. Laws
The leaders of the Senate judiciary’s subcommittee for privacy, technology and law said in interviews on Thursday that their framework will include requirements for the licensing and auditing of A.I., the creation of an independent federal office to oversee the technology, liability for companies for privacy and civil rights violations, and requirements for data transparency and safety standards.
Source: 2 Senators Propose Bipartisan Framework for A.I. Laws
The Battle Over Books3 Could Change AI Forever
Books3 started as a passion project by a Midwestern guy going through a weird time. “I poured my soul into the work,” he says. He saw it as aligned with the open source movement, a way to democratize access to the kind of data sets OpenAI was already using. Copyright activists are on a mission to wipe the popular generative AI training set from the internet. Success could alter the industry—and who controls it.