- A US Rep. Adam Schiff proposed a new bill that would force AI companies to submit paperwork to the U.S. Copyright Office to explain what copyrighted works were used to build its system before releasing the system.
- Many AI companies have been subject to copyright controversy, and although they argue for fair use, this proposal is supported by many copyright owners from the United States.
- The bill’s proponents believe in championing innovation while safeguarding the rights and contributions of creators and ensuring that they are aware of their work’s contribution to AI training datasets, as a way to honour creativity in the age of AI.
Adam Schiff, a Democrat representative from California, proposed a new bill on Tuesday that would force AI companies to disclose data used to train their models before releasing the system.
The bill, officially called the “Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act”, requires that any AI company submit paperwork to the U.S. Copyright Office in advance to explain what copyrighted works were used to build its system.
Also read: OpenAI and Microsoft face lawsuits over AI copyright infringement
Also read: Artificial Intelligence Act: World’s first global AI law passed in EU
A bill to pursue a combination of innovation and fairness
According to Rep. Schiff’s announcement on Tuesday, he has garnered the support of many copyright holders, including organisations like the Screen Actors Guild and the Recording Industry Association of America.
“We must balance the immense potential of AI with the crucial need for ethical guidelines and protections,” said he, adding that“my Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is a pivotal step in this direction.”
AI companies already sparked copyright controversy
Represented by the companies that develop generative AI products like ChatGPT and image generators like Midjourney, they have come under fire for using copyrighted works to train their model despite their arguing that it is all legal under the fair use doctrine.
The New York Times had sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement in December 2023, claiming that it was “attempting to hold them liable for billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages.”
Rep. Schiff believed that “it champions innovation while safeguarding the rights and contributions of creators, ensuring they are aware when their work contributes to AI training datasets. This is about respecting creativity in the age of AI and marrying technological progress with fairness.”
