In a recent submission to the Australian government’s review on AI regulations, tech giant Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google proposed altering copyright laws to favor generative AI systems. Its proposal suggests allowing these AI systems to gather data from the internet while keeping an option to opt-out for publishers who want their content untouched.
What Happened: According to a report by The Guardian, Google believes that content creators should be able to prevent their work from being used by AI systems for data analysis. The company voiced this opinion in feedback to an Australian government review on AI rules.
While Google has previously told the Australian government that AI should be allowed to use internet content, this is the first time it has suggested an option for publishers to block it if they don’t want their data used by AI.
How Would It Work: Google hinted at a plan similar to the current ‘robots.txt’ method. This allows website owners to stop search engines from checking parts of their site. Basically, they want a system where content creators can say, "No, AI can't use this."
Some big news businesses, like News Corp, are already talking to AI companies about being paid when their news stories are used. Dr. Kayleen Manwaring, a law expert, believes copyright issues will be a big challenge for AI. You need permission to use someone’s copyrighted work in most places, but Google’s idea might change this. A computing professor, Toby Murray, thinks this puts more responsibility on creators if they decide whether AI can use their content. Current systems, like Creative Commons, already let creators set usage rules.
Why Is It Important: This issue could change how copyright works if unresolved. Big companies might lose out, but smaller content creators face bigger problems. Some suspect AI tools are already using lots of online content without permission.
Recently, an Australian senator asked if AI companies might be forced to pay for using website content, like how news platforms are paid. The government replied they’re looking into rules for AI and news media and considering reviewing the current payment system for news platforms.
As the government mulls over these suggestions, the future of AI’s interaction with online content remains an open question.
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