The Role of Consent in Training Generative AI

Generative AI has changed our world with its power to create content that mimics human intelligence. Think of the technology producing articles, art, or music at will and without effort; it’s just amazing.

But here’s the twist. Is the use of this technology always legal? Some might say yes, while others raise ethical concerns.

Data use is central to this debate. Generative AI needs vast amounts of data, and this data helps the model learn and generate new content. But where does this data come from? That’s why it’s crucial to source this data ethically.

• Digital artists on platforms like ArtStation are protesting. Their artwork is used as training data for AI models and names like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion come up.
• Microsoft, GitHub, and OpenAI allegedly scraped artists’ works and programmers’ code to train their AI models.
• Getty Images, a giant in the UK, challenged Stability AI over the use of their stock images.
• Recent news highlights more controversy. Game of Thrones creators are among 17 parties that have filed a lawsuit. They claim that OpenAI has committed systematic theft on a grand scale.

So, let’s have a closer look at this controversy and discuss how AI models source data around the world using the law, even when we hear – consent is key.

Getting around the law

Technology advances fast, often faster than the law. This speed creates gray areas in AI legality. Deep learning models, like GPT-3 and Stable Diffusion, need massive amounts of data. They rely on internet data, which is huge. But here’s a catch: most internet content comes from humans. Only a tiny part is open-source or under Creative Commons licenses.

This raises a big question. Most of the internet data AI models use don’t have creator permissions. These creators aren’t credited or paid. Is this fair?

In the US, there’s the Fair Use Law. It lets people use copyrighted works in new ways, like for critique or parodies. Many in AI lean on this law but they use the content as training data instead of getting data licenses. But does Fair Use apply to AI training data?

Let’s look at Europe. The EU has a strong privacy law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s about user consent for data use. Companies can’t just take data, as they require user consent. So, does an AI model breach this law by using your photos or art? If so, what will the EU do?

These questions hang in the balance and they’ll shape how we use AI in the future.

To accept or let go

Is it too late to act? Legal debates are ongoing in the US, UK, and EU in 2023. Yet, large language models and image transformers highlight the power of training on vast data. Some say the genie is out of the bottle. AI will likely continue growing with models labeled “foundation models“.

A point to consider: some in AI believe relaxed copyright laws fuel progress. A paper titled “Fair Learning” suggests that fair use of online data is essential. Without it, AI might stall.

Money is flowing into generative AI and venture capitalists see its huge potential. The promise of reshaping tech use draws interest, as the future of AI is clearly bright.

Making a difference with Shaip

Generative AI is making waves and its future is uncertain due to legal debates in places like the US and EU. But it’s clear that the technology is here to stay. Community-driven or open-source datasets could power it in the near future. The EU presents more challenges with the GDPR and the upcoming AI Act.

How can your business benefit from this technology and remain ethical and global? Look at Shaip, as we’re here with solutions.

Since our inception, we have opted for tailored, quality datasets for AI projects. We offer more than just clean data, as we eliminate the noise often found in open-source sets. Our datasets come with in-depth demographic details to make sure there’s no bias.

We’ve held a core belief: AI should be just and fair.

Our priority lies in the people behind the data. We ensure every contributor gives informed consent. We see data as the heart of AI and people as the heart of data. They should know the purpose of their contribution and get fair compensation.

We have a twofold approach. It addresses all legal requirements while respecting and valuing data contributors. Many of those suing AI companies want recognition and fairness and we make sure that they get their fair share.

As the world grapples with AI’s future, Shaip offers a path forward. When you’re ready to leverage AI for your business, choose ethical, globally compliant data. That’s precisely what Shaip offers.

Connect with Shaip. Let’s usher your business into the AI era the right way.