Leading European publishing groups are urging the EU to step up its game on AI transparency. Their concern? The potential misuse of AI in the publishing world and its broader implications for democracy.
As the curtains rose on Frankfurt’s world’s most significant book fair, a digital plea echoed across the web. The message? For the EU to take a stand on AI transparency, especially regarding generative AI. The goal? To make the digital realm safer for every European.
âžœ Who’s Behind the Call?
The voices behind this call are the European Writers’ Council, the Federation of European Publishers, and the European and International Booksellers Federation. Their concerns were amplified after a deep dive by The Atlantic, which showcased how pirated works of renowned authors were used to train AI tools by giants like Meta and Bloomberg.
➜ The Heart of the Matter
Generative AI, while revolutionary, has its dark side. The statement from these organizations highlighted how these AI models have been developed in an opaque and unfair way. They’ve been trained on millions of books without the necessary permissions, leading to potential misinformation and threats to democracy.
âžœ The EU’s AI Act
On the brink of finalization, this act is the EU’s answer to the AI problem. It aims to classify AI systems based on their risks, from unacceptable to minimal. The act would require companies to be transparent about the data sources used for training AI models, especially foundational ones like ChatGPT.
➜ The Next Steps
The publishing bodies believe the act is a step in the right direction. However, they emphasize that more needs to be done to curb the misuse of AI in publishing. They’re calling for enhanced transparency measures to ensure the quality and legitimacy of AI outputs.
“Meaningful transparency obligations allowing a rightsholder to assess whether their work was used are easy for the innovative AI operators to comply with. They are technologically simple to apply and rely on data that AI developers already collect and organise. And they are needed now, as damage is already done since existing generative text models used works for years without consent, credit, or compensation to the authors and publishers.”
AI’s potential in reshaping industries is undeniable. However, with great power comes great responsibility. The call from European publishing bodies is a timely reminder of the need for transparency and ethical practices in AI. As AI continues to evolve, it’s crucial for regulations to keep pace, ensuring that technology serves humanity and not the other way around. And as NeuralWit always emphasizes, it’s about using AI wisely and ethically.