How are Data Rights Copyright Protected? AI Attribution with Chatbots

Chatbots - you either love ‘em or hate ‘em!  But they’re now very much part of our day-to-day lives. As these automated assistants grow in sophistication, they save money for businesses and provide a better experience for customers - but what about data privacy? For some time now there have been some legal rumblings regarding the massive amounts of user data that these bodacious business bots are able to collect.



So, without much ado, we’re looking at some of these concerns and what the future might hold for companies and customers in the dazzling but uncertain age of digital customer support.

Data Ownership in the AI Era: Unpacking the Legal Maze

We all know that modern technology is evolving at lightning speed.  And while some celebrate this, others feel that we should be hitting the brakes a bit until we fully understand the complexities. This is super relevant for Chatbots, because they sit firmly at the intersection of users, developers and businesses. Which can mean that ownership and attribution look like they’re on a collision course.

The fact is that automated customer support systems are only made possible by continuously feeding them huge amounts of customer data. This has been critical to achieving advancements not only in AI-generated content but also in fields like digital ad intelligence, which enables more highly targeted marketing and advertising campaigns. For the average Joe, this means they are fueling the advance of AI by allowing these Chatbots to get their (virtual) hands on their data.



So, what’s the problem? Great question. These days, data is a commodity which is just as valuable (if not more so) as gold or precious stones … and where there’s value there’s ownership. The sticky wicket here is knowing what the deal is when data is copyrighted by a company or individual  - as well as figuring out the legal owner of the AI’s intellectual property rights.

Legal Battles Ahead: Clash Over AI Data Rights

The terms copyright and intellectual property mean, essentially, that somebody owns a particular chunk of content such as an article, script or even a social media post and, when somebody else uses that content for their own purposes without permission it can land them in legal do-do. As AI development gains momentum, some pretty high-profile folk including George R.R. Martin, Sarah Silverman and even the mighty New York Times have got themselves lawyered up against AI giants Open AI, Meta and Microsoft. In these lawsuits, the victims complain that their content has been used to train AI models without their consent.



Here’s where things get even more complicated. The AI businesses involved aren’t actually denying that they swiped the work.  Last year, for instance, OpenAI acknowledged this issue publicly, but argued that it’s impossible to train large language models without using content that’s protected by copyright. Some also argue that using this content is fair play as the “purpose is broadly illustrative and transformative” - essentially suggesting that this use is for the greater good of the people rather than for their own profit. Well, that’s what they say…

The main problem here is that so much of the issue is down to how you look at it.  Yes, AI trainers are correct in stating that this content speeds up their development, but content authors also have a right to protect their work, don’t they?

Balancing Innovation and Protection: Walking the Legal Edge

So, the big question - how to get the balance right and keep everyone happy? There’s no doubt that AI is here to stay and that, in order to advance it needs to gobble shedloads of data. On the other hand, content creators put a great deal of time and effort into their work and expect - and deserve - to be paid for it or we risk losing creative influencers.



This kind of push-pull situation will almost certainly need to be resolved by lawmakers and this will, in all likelihood, lead to new laws and guidelines for companies involved in training AI. What this will look like is not clear as yet but, an answer, it seems may not be too far away.

The Industry’s Response

As this debate rapidly reaches boiling point, technical and legal movers and shakers from across the globe are coming together to actively find a resolution. This includes the UK Government which is currently putting its head together with copyright holders and users in a bid to regulate through data mining licenses and the implementation of best practices. While tech giants are also throwing their hat in the ring to help find a fair compromise, some are hedging their bets by working hard on building legal dream teams to fight current and future lawsuits.

Conclusion

Finding a compromise that protects creative types while not standing in the way of technological advancement is likely to be far from easy however, as long as conversations are still taking place there is hope that technology and creatives can learn how to work together - rather than against one another. As for Chatbots, it looks like we’ll have to get used to loving ‘em or hating ‘em as there’s no sign of them going anywhere anytime soon.