Rep. Adam Schiff of California is getting ready for an interview with CNN outside the House Chamber on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Introducing a new legislative proposal on Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, is pushing for businesses that train their generative artificial intelligence models to disclose all the work involved in the process.
The proposed legislation, known as the “Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act,” mandates that individuals responsible for creating or modifying training sets must submit a detailed report to the Register of Copyrights, outlining the copyrighted materials utilized and providing URLs for any publicly available content.
Within 30 days of making the AI system accessible to the public, the mandatory disclosure must be submitted. Furthermore, the retroactive rule would apply to AI systems already in public use, giving them a 30-day window to comply once the bill is enacted.
All submitted disclosures would be compiled by the Register of Copyrights into an online database accessible to the general public.
Schiff stated that the bill strikes a delicate balance between fostering innovation and safeguarding creativity.
According to Schiff, “AI has the potential to revolutionize our economy, social structures, and daily routines. We must find a middle ground between AI’s vast potential and the pressing need for ethical standards and protections.” He emphasized the significance of passing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act.
The legislation aims to promote innovation while ensuring that creators’ rights and contributions are respected by informing them when their work is utilized in AI training datasets. Schiff emphasized the importance of honoring creativity and integrating technological progress with fairness in the age of AI.
This initiative comes at a time of heightened concern regarding the potential impact on designers and content creators, whose creations are frequently used in developing conceptual AI systems.
In a recent open letter signed by over 200 artists, tech companies, AI engineers, and digital audio services were urged to refrain from using AI due to concerns about its adverse effects on musicians and songwriters, including industry figures like Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and the Jonas Brothers.
While acknowledging AI’s potential to enhance human creativity and offer new experiences for music enthusiasts, the artists emphasized the need for responsible AI usage to protect privacy, identities, music, and livelihoods.
The letter reflects a broader apprehension about AI’s implications for performers and artists. In Hollywood, both the SAG-AFTRA union representing actors and the Writers Guild of America representing writers successfully secured protections against AI during their union negotiations last year.
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