Regulatory pressure mounts on AI firms to disclose copyrighted sources

US Congressman Adam Schiff is attempting to force AI companies to outline any copyrighted data used to train AI models.

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On April 9, Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act that, if passed, would require AI companies to file all relevant data used to train their AI tools with the Register of Copyrights at least 30 days before the tool is introduced to the public.

The bill would also be retroactive, meaning any AI tool that is currently available to the public would fall under the same new requirement. If the company doesn't comply with the new laws, it will face a financial penalty from the Copyright Office proportionate to the company's size and violations.

It should be noted that the bill wouldn't prevent AI creators from using copyrighted works, but instead implement transparency on which materials have been used to create the tool and where they have been acquired from. The bill comes only a few weeks after OpenAI CTO Mira Murati was asked if the company upcoming text-to-video AI tool called Sora was created using content acquired from YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. Murati's response was troubling because she said she didn't know.

"AI has the disruptive potential of changing our economy, our political system, and our day-to-day lives. We must balance the immense potential of AI with the crucial need for ethical guidelines and protections." said Congressman Schiff

The bill "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," added Schiff