The British government is contacting the media and creative industries in Britain over concerns that artificial intelligence-generated products are violating their copyright.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has written to senior executives to try to “build our knowledge of recent developments in artificial Intelligence”.
In the letter, it was acknowledged that AI has been “a topic of considerable debate across creative industries and a source of great concern for many”.
Media executives have expressed concern that tech companies have used their news and features in order to train bots, without any licensing agreement.
Other sectors, such as music, publishing, and broadcasting, have similar concerns about the exploitation their original work — for instance, the creation “deep fakes” AI-generated works that use an artist’s style or voice to create new work.
Some early discussions are underway between tech and media firms about licensing AI-generated content based on copyrighted materials. The FT published last week that Google and Universal Music are in discussions over a licensing agreement to cover AI-generated songs based on a singer’s voice.
News organizations have also expressed concerns about AI being used to create fake stories. Rachel Corp, CEO of the TV news group ITN wrote to ministers to ask them to maintain standards and protect election reporting integrity in June.
DCMS’s letter addressed many issues, such as how companies can monetise their content and control it when used as input to AI. The letter asked for suggestions on how to “prevent/address copyright-infringing outcomes from these AI models”.
The letter also asked executives if they believed deep fakes were a threat to the organisation or industry. It acknowledged that AI had advantages and opportunities, given the fact that media groups are already using the technology for basic stories.
In the letter, the department stated that it was “working to ensure the concerns of the creative sectors are taken into consideration in the broader debate on policymaking”. The government has already planned to publish a white paper on AI regulation.
The department stated that it was not interested in duplicating the work of other teams, but rather working with them separately. We want to get a comprehensive picture of what AI can do for [the creative and media] sectors.
Executives worry that media companies and creative industry could be pushed to the back of the line if the government is determined to establish Canada as a centre for AI research.
In November, the UK will host the first ever global summit on artificial intelligence regulation.
In a press release, the government stated: “AI presents opportunities for our creative industries and media sectors to maximize their potential. But we also know that it poses risks.” We are committed to a balanced strategy that will help the UK maintain its position as a global leader in AI while also protecting our creative industries.