ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
Love it or Hate it… now artists are signing an open letter in praise of generative AI and its potential power to share creative work.
It was only a month or so ago that creators signed an open letter calling out the use of copyrighted material to
train AI. This came after authors in particular noticed generative AI programmes producing content that could only, they believed, have come from being trained on their work. Work which was protected by copyright and for which they hadn’t granted permission for such use.
Stories like that would lead one to believe that creators hate generative AI. I know from experience that’s not true. As part of the Futures Thinking Network here in Oxford, I have been directly involved in some fascinating creative AI collaborations.
Creative Commons hosts open letter in support of generative AI
But this week artists have issued and are signing an open letter that is supportive of the use of generative AI. The letter is to be found on the Creative Commons website, which is perhaps no surprise. The Creative Commons movement is built on the belief that creativity happens best when people share their work and allow it to be used and modified by others.
The letter is a call from artists who use AI to have a seat at the table when decisions about AI are made. To that extent, it has much in common with other calls from creators who are hostile to AI and others in between. The main substance of most voices right now is a call to be involved not just in consultation but in decision making. As someone who seeks to use this news column to enable readers to inform themselves and thus make better decisions about what works for them, that call for a seat at the table is one I can get firmly on board with, whatever the rest of the context.
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