Ministers must protect content creators whose work has been used without permission by tech companies for AI products like chatbots, which generate significant financial gains, according to a House of Lords committee.
The Lords Communications and Digital Committee stated that the UK’s legal framework is failing to uphold copyright principles as AI development progresses.
The commission highlighted that high-tech companies are using copyrighted materials without authorization and reaping substantial benefits.
Copyright has become a crucial issue in the development of generative AI, which involves creating text, images, and audio from human commands.
The committee called for government action against copyright infringement and urged for an update to the legal framework to prevent such outcomes.
Additionally, the committee recommended that the government evaluate whether the current copyright law adequately safeguards the rights of copyright owners and consider amending the law if there is legal uncertainty.
Furthermore, the Intellectual Property Office of the government is working on a code of practice for copyright and AI. The Copyright Act of 1988 exempts text and data mining for “non-commercial” research, but the government had initially planned to extend this exemption to all uses in 2022, which has since been withdrawn.
In the US, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is facing lawsuits for alleged copyright infringement, as it has been accused of using copyrighted material to create its tools. Similarly, Microsoft and other companies have emphasized the potential negative impacts of restricted access to data on the functionality of AI models.
The committee also cautioned the government about the prolonged technological disruption caused by AI and the need to prevent the concentration of market power in a few companies’ hands.
A government spokesperson indicated that the Intellectual Property Office has been collaborating with stakeholders to formulate voluntary regulations on AI and copyright, aimed at facilitating the thriving coexistence of AI and creative industries.
Source: www.theguardian.com
