Content ownership in the era of artificial intelligence

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to touch every aspect of our lives, who owns the digital content we generate every day? The answer is complicated. Today’s consumers find their personal data constantly being collected, analyzed and exploited to improve the services we use. In fact, now it’s also being used to create more content? Who really owns all this digital content?

according to a Report Chiratae Ventures predicts that the consumer technology industry will be worth US$300 billion by 2027, with more than 500 million Indians currently seeking entertainment and gaming services on the Internet every day.according to ForbesIndia has an active social media penetration rate of 33.4%, and overall, 67.5% of all Internet users in India (regardless of age) use at least one social networking platform as of January 2023.

How much personal data does this generate? Why should we care?

To get an idea, consider the example of Neha, a modern Indian woman who is passionate about technology in her daily life. As an avid social media user, she relies on many AI-powered platforms to curate content she likes. From personalized news feeds to algorithmically suggested music playlists, her digital experience is being shaped by artificial intelligence systems that are constantly working with her.

First, consider the photos Neha shares on social media. These photos are an important part of the AI-driven world of content ownership. Facebook and Instagram are notorious for their data collection practices. When users like Neha upload photos and interact with content on these platforms, artificial intelligence algorithms analyze this data and track their digital behavior to better understand their preferences.

With the help of all this analytics, big companies can serve ads and provide consumers with a personalized user experience. What happens here is that even though the user is the one providing the content, the platform retains ownership of the data generated, leading to concerns about privacy and data exploitation.

Stuart Meczes, creative director at Contnt.io, said: “While platforms and algorithms do not own creators’ content, they do technically have a lot of power over who sees it, sometimes to the detriment of honest and hard-working creators. benefits.” , a subscription platform for creators.

Who owns the data?

Who owns the user-generated content we constantly upload on social media? Do users, or the platforms and artificial intelligence algorithms that process this data, have an ownership interest?

On most social media and content platforms, content is owned by the creators themselves.

“However, platforms have a lot of power – which they often exercise silently in the background – to control who can see this content. With the rise of content moderation AI algorithms, this decision may not be made by humans today. ’. These algorithms are not perfect and can sometimes end up highlighting harmful content or mistakenly individually removing platforms,” Meczes said.

He recounted a painful personal experience. A self-published author who, when online sales of his first book began to pick up, said the platform’s algorithm mistakenly detected that he was paying for reviews and removed him from the platform.

“It took me many back-and-forth discussions with the platform owners to reactivate my profile, but by then, the damage had been done and I had lost a lot of momentum in terms of book sales – and my livelihood took a hit as a result,” he recalls road.

result?

How can our data collected by these large companies be misused? Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018? Social media giant Facebook at the time is still annoyed by it. The scandal revealed how the personal data of millions of Facebook users was collected for political advertising without their consent.

The incident was considered shocking and led to calls for data privacy regulations, such as those currently in the form of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).In fact, in December this year, EU lawmakers reach agreement The bill aims to mitigate harm in areas where the use of artificial intelligence poses the greatest risk to fundamental rights, such as healthcare, education, border surveillance and public services, and bans uses that pose “unacceptable risks”.

Such regulations are intended to give users like Neha greater control over their personal data and ensure transparency from tech companies over data use and ownership.

AI-generated content and ownership

Then there’s AI-generated content. While using Gen AI to generate images and videos is fun, what if AI-generated videos using Neha’s likeness or preferences start appearing on the platform? Deepfakes are already circulating online.Last year, Prime Minister Modi express concern When he found a video of himself doing garba. Last week, a Ukrainian YouTuber shocked to find Her AI clone on Chinese social media.

Ownership of this content is uncertain. Recently, out of similar concerns, The New York Times be accused Open AI accused the company of using millions of its articles to train its chatbot without permission.

If this happened to Neha, she may have inadvertently contributed to the creation of such content through her interactions. The question arises, who owns the content generated by Neha? Who owns AI-generated content? Does Neha herself, or the platforms and AI algorithms that process her data, have ownership?

what can you do?

This is the age of artificial intelligence, and the concept of content ownership has us scrambling to know whether the source of information is human or algorithmic. Social media platforms and technology companies believe they need user-generated data like Neha’s to improve services, enhance user experience and drive innovation. Consumers, on the other hand, are uncomfortable with the lack of transparency and control over the content they contribute.

It’s a good idea to understand the terms and conditions associated with the platform you use. Reading the fine print and understanding data sharing policies can be boring, but it can give you an idea of ​​how to regain some control over the content you generate and share online.

The need for artificial intelligence regulation

This is why AI regulation is critical. Advocating for stricter data protection regulations and demanding transparency from tech companies is crucial to shaping the digital future, giving users greater clarity on how their data is used and who ultimately owns the content they create.

One of the important aspects of AI and content today is regulatory policy. The policy must ensure end-user protection while not stifling innovation. One of the main reasons why most countries are not racing to enact AI laws is that they fear stifling innovation. But given the staggering number of AI users in India, a framework that balances innovation and protection will be a challenge.

As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang explainEach country needs its own AI infrastructure in order to realize its economic potential while protecting its culture. Recently, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar solved NASSCOM said the artificial intelligence regulatory framework will be discussed and debated in June-July this year.

He said: “We will fully realize the potential of artificial intelligence, while also erecting guardrails to prevent misuse. Today, the world sees that we are at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence technology.”

Content ownership in the age of artificial intelligence is a pressing issue that requires our attention. Through the lens of people like Neha Rodriguez, we see the intricate dance between personal agency and the algorithms that shape our digital experiences. As we move forward, in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, consumers must be informed, empowered and proactive in shaping a digital environment that respects and protects their ownership rights.