Ethics and AI - Copyright Law

Question:

How the current state of intellectual property law’s relation to AI likely impact the professional practice of artists and designers in terms of copyright protection?

Inquiry Length:

Mini, 6 weeks

Why this Question is Important

The emergence of generative AI has raised significant questions about how copyright law is enforced when the works in question are generated by a non-human intelligence that’s been trained on human created content. These are questions that will likely take years to settle. In the meantime, creative professionals are forced to operate in a state of ambiguity regarding how to best protect their interests as creators of original works, and how to avoid violating copyright law when using generative AI platforms. This inquiry aims to provide a snapshot of the current state in laymans terms so that emerging creative professionals have an idea of what questions should be asked when navigating an ever changing legal landscape around copyright and AI.

Criteria for Successful Submission

This submission should be it the format of an article or video providing an overview of the current state of copyright law and generative AI, and suggestions of what creative professionals should consider as they develop best practices

This should include:

• A general overview of the principles of copyright law
  • How protections are granted
  • What are the limitations of what can be protected
  • How copyright is transferred
  • Why does copyright exist (what is it’s function)
• An analysis of current concerns regarding how generative AI impacts and intersects with copyright law. Provide a explanation of all main perspectives on each concern, including any pending or concluded court actions, opinion articles, and proposed legislation. Possible examples:
  • Is training AI models on copyrighted material a violation of copyright?
  • Can work produced by generative AI be copyrighted
  • Is it possible for an individual to use copyright as a mechanism to prevent their work to be used as source material for AI generated work?
• A set of recommendations of specific things creative professionals should pay attention to to avoid falling afoul of the dynamics of copyright law as it relates to generative AI.
• A bibliography of sources and works cited.
• A description of how the research methods used compensated for any preexisting personal bias you hold on the topic (show how you insulated your findings from your personal feelings on the subject)