President Trump said the complex issue of paying copyright owners used for AI training is unrealistic and that the US is at a disadvantage against China.
Speaking at the AI Summit in Washington, DC on Wednesday, Trump called for a “common sense” approach that will allow for the free development of AI.
“When you're supposed to pay for every article, a book, or all the other things, you can't expect to have a successful AI program,” Trump said. “You can't do that because it's not feasible.”
AI companies also argue in court that training on copyrighted data is protected by fair use. Several federal judges agreed, and in a pair of decisions in June, Meta and human surveillance abandoned the artist's allegations of infringement.
In his speech at Andrew Mellon Auditorium, Trump gave a brief presentation on the AI industry's perspective on the issue.
“When a person reads a book or article, you gain significant knowledge. That doesn't mean you're violating copyright laws or have to deal with all content providers,” he said. “You can't do that. China doesn't do that… you have to play with the same set of rules… it doesn't work that way. Of course you can't copy or plagiarize articles, but if you read articles and learn from them, we must allow you to use that pool of knowledge without experiencing the complexity of contract denial.
The Human Artistic Campaign, a coalition that includes Hollywood unions such as SAG-AFTRA, the American Director Guild, the American Writers Guild, and the IATSE, pushed the other side of the debate, arguing that AI training should only be conducted with the consent of the right sholders.
In response to Trump's remarks, the coalition said AI companies need high-quality copyrighted works to function.
“This can only be achieved through partnerships between the creative industry and technology companies,” the group said. “Taking a creator's work without consent or payment creates an incentive that will harm both AI's American culture and American leaders.”
Some creative advocates envision payment schemes similar to ASCAP and BMI, where AI companies can license copyright work and royalties are distributed to the right sholders.
“Licensing creates the world's most robust social media and digital distribution services, and the same can be done with AI,” the Human Artistry campaign said. “The Zero Sum Games will result in America losing its race in both creative and AI advantages. We are confident that courts that apply the constitutional principles of copyright will do this right and set the stage for continuing American leadership in both AI and creativity over the coming decades.”
In March, more than 400 Hollywood creative leaders signed an open letter to the Trump White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, urging the administration not to roll back copyright protections at the request of AI companies. The group included Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Eribo, Cate Blanchett, Code Jefferson, Paul McCartney, Ron Howard and Taika Waitty. “We firmly believe that America's global AI leadership should not come at the expense of our essential creative industry,” the letter states. “AI companies are seeking to undermine this economic and cultural strength by undermining copyright protections used to train film, television series, artwork, writing, music and voice at the core of multi-billion dollar corporate valuations.”
The Supreme Court may ultimately have to resolve legal issues of whether AI training is “fair use.” However, the political sector can also become heavier.
Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumental introduced Monday without allowing AI training on copyrighted works. “AI companies are stoking Americans blindness while leaving artists, writers and other creators in zero ways,” Holy, a Missouri Republican, said in a statement.
Other bills also require disclosure of copyrighted works used in AI training.
The Motion Picture Association, representing leading studios and streaming companies, advocates a case-by-case approach to AI and fair use.
“For now, there is no reason to believe that courts and existing laws do not reach the task of applying existing copyright laws to new technologies – as courts have been doing so for over a century.
The White House issued an AI Action Plan on Wednesday, calling for further innovation, but did not address copyright issues.
Trump has also signed an executive order to prevent “waking up AI in the federal government.” This was signed by instructing the agency heads to procure “only large-scale language models (LLMS)” that stick to the “fair AI principles” defined as “seeking the truth.” “President Trump protects Americans from the production of biased AI driven by ideologies such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the expense of accuracy,” the White House said in a summary of the order.
Above: Trump speaks during the All-in-Podcast and the Hill & Valley Forum hosted by the All-in-Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC on July 23rd
