Why OpenAI’s copyright strategy will affect you more than you realize

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      OpenAI has been inconsistent in many aspects — is it a non-profit or a for-profit entity? Is Sam Altman qualified to be CEO or not? However, the company has consistently maintained that it needs access to copyrighted materials for training its AI. Despite numerous opposing voices, OpenAI is urging the U.S. government to grant broad access by declaring it "fair use." The company argues that without the freedom to train its models on copyrighted content, the U.S. risks falling behind China in the AI competition, asserting that "excessively burdensome state laws" will hinder progress and outcomes.

      This situation could also affect creators. For instance, artists, writers, programmers, photographers, and filmmakers with online portfolios own their work, but if this initiative proceeds, they would have no recourse when their content is utilized to train AI. Even more tangible creative endeavors, like fashion design, jewelry crafting, or sculpting, could be at risk if images of their work are shared online.

      It seems rather ironic that OpenAI wants AI training to be considered "fair" use of copyrighted content, especially since the resulting products will create new, altered versions of individual creations. A notable instance occurred last month when the French cast of Apex Legends was reportedly approached to assist in training an AI model intended to produce voice lines for the game.

      There are numerous commercial applications for different types of creative content, but as AI models become better at imitating it, earning as a creator may become increasingly challenging. Companies have a track record of opting for the cheapest alternatives, and there's little indication this will change soon.

      It's difficult to envision a solution for creators facing this dilemma. Individuals who are serious about safeguarding their work might begin password-protecting their online portfolios, sacrificing a few older samples for training sets, while sharing the remainder only upon human request.

      There would undoubtedly be a demand for a viable solution—perhaps a new portfolio or creative sharing platform accessible solely by humans. This would require a robust authentication process, but there are certainly individuals willing to trade some convenience for this level of security.

      The White House has yet to respond to OpenAI's proposal, so the future developments remain to be seen.

      Willow Roberts has been a Computing Writer at Digital Trends for a year and has been writing for nearly a decade.

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