A real conversation about artificial intelligence

There’s this idea out there that the internet is just one great big pool of free information waiting to be accessed. But the truth is, the internet’s free information is really just free to consume. In OpenAI’s latest push for faster development and lighter regulation, their call for the “freedom to learn” seems to also mean the freedom to use the vast wealth of information on the internet without credit or compensation. And that doesn't feel like freedom, it feels like exploitation.

AI is magical, but it isn’t magic

AI is an incredible technology that has the ability to reshape industries, improve efficiency, and expand creativity. And that unlimited potential is exciting! It’s helping provide translation tools to connect communities and people, providing life-changing accessibility for people with disabilities, and reimagining how people navigate the world. There are incredible artists, podcasters, writers, and musicians who are using AI as a tool to enhance their creativity. As a company we also see the benefit of access to AI as a resource and the potential it has for our team, creators, and our business. Plus, it’s just ... cool.

But, as a company built on the idea that creators should have ownership over their work and a seat at the table, we can’t ignore that all that knowledge isn’t created out of thin air. AI learns from what’s already been created by people. In the Wild West phase of AI adoption, it’s those creatives that power it.

Innovation and protection can exist together

There’s a lot of debate right now about whether AI training from publicly available work qualifies as “fair use,” and courts will make that decision in the not-so-distant-future. But in the meantime, we have to acknowledge that “fair” isn’t just about legal definitions – it also means fair treatment and fair pay, both ethical obligations we have to protect creativity. If AI models are going to use publicly-available online media to generate new work, there should be a reasonable expectation that the original artists, publishers, and creators should be paid.

This isn’t about whether AI is important or influential – both of those things are unquestionably true. It’s about implementing the technology in a fair way and building a better system than what we’ve seen in the past. It’s about making sure the people whose work built the system aren’t lost in the process.

A thriving information economy isn’t about free access. It’s about creating a system where creators’ time and expertise are valued and where they’re paid fairly for their work. We shouldn’t have to choose between what’s useful and what’s right - and it shouldn’t be weird to pay creators for their work, it should be weird to expect their work for free.