Examining the ethical and legal ramifications of AI-generated content
Artificial intelligence, specifically generative AI, will become more prevalent in 2023. The technology itself isn’t brand-new; various software firms have created and released desktop, online, and mobile apps with certain “generative” features. Perhaps you remember having fun with the SimSimi chatbot or have been utilizing the Snapseed backdrop removal feature?
GPT-4’s launch in March 2023 is what initially sparked an increase in public (non-tech) interest in the technology. The ChatGPT user interface makes it simple to use, and once people began to realize how useful this technology could be, the GPT-4 high-quality content generating capacity grabbed the world by storm.
The rapid acceptance and use of Generative AI by the general public carries some concerns and implications, notably morally and legally. Although this is still new area in terms of laws and regulations, it is nevertheless a good idea to be informed of how the technology might affect society.
The Legal and Ethical Perspectives on Generative AI
When used creatively by humans, generative AI poses legal risks, whether consciously or unknowingly. Even though the threats are impending, generative AI legislation is still (by July 2023) still a somewhat uncharted and contentious territory.
1. Copyright and Ownership
Quoting Wikipedia, copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform creative work, usually for a limited time. In Generative AI, the “owner” aspect of this copyright becomes unclear as there are multiple parties involved in the creation of the content, including:
- The person who wrote the prompt
- The company/organization that built the AI model
- The artists whose works were used in training the model
- The AI which generated the art/content
Each party plays a significant role in the creation of the content and without…
