Microsoft may have entered controversial territory following recent statements by Mustafa Suleyman, the tech giant's AI CEO, during his conversation with NBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Suleyman asserted that any content on the internet can be used for AI training unless the creator explicitly says otherwise.
Suleyman suggested that, since the 1990s, the accepted understanding has been that publicly accessible web content falls under fair use. This perspective implies that anyone can copy, recreate, or repurpose such content. However, he acknowledged a distinction for content where publishers explicitly prohibit scraping or crawling, a matter he believes will ultimately require legal clarification.
These assertions prompt several critical inquiries. The first question is whether it is permissible to use others' content to generate new material. Closely related is the issue of whether profiting from derivative works created from existing content is acceptable. Another important consideration is how creators could have specified restrictions on AI training before the technology became prevalent. Additionally, there is the question of whether Microsoft has honored requests from organizations to limit content usage solely to search indexing. Finally, it is worth examining if Microsoft's partners, including OpenAI, have respected similar restrictions.
Suleyman’s perspective is met with opposition from many publishers, evident in ongoing legal battles.
Image: NBC News / YT
The issue of training AI models with existing content versus potential theft has sparked heated debate within the tech and creative communities. While some argue that using such content for AI training is analogous to artistic study, others view it as intellectual property theft, particularly when it involves monetizing derivative works.
YouTube's approach of offering substantial payments to record labels for training its AI models on their music libraries illustrates a consensual method of content utilization. In contrast, Suleyman's remarks suggest that any content not explicitly protected is fair game for AI training.
Microsoft and OpenAI have faced numerous copyright infringement lawsuits. Recently, eight U.S.-based publishers filed suits against these entities, adding to existing litigation initiated by The New York Times.
AI-generated content has sparked controversy beyond just its training data. For instance, an animated video using AI, which reached the finals of a competition, provoked backlash among Pink Floyd fans.
In essence, Suleyman posits that publicly accessible content is akin to freeware unless stated otherwise by the creator. This stance, however, raises complex legal and ethical questions that extend far beyond the simplicity of social media disclaimers.
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by Asim BN via Digital Information World
