OpenAI is asking the U.S. government to make it easier for AI companies to learn from copyrighted material, citing a need to “strengthen America’s lead” globally in advancing the technology.
The proposal is part of a wider plan that the tech company behind ChatGPT submitted to the U.S. government on Thursday as part of President Donald Trump’s coming “AI Action Plan.” The administration solicited input from interested parties across the private sector, government and academia, framing the future policy as a shift that would “prevent unnecessarily burdensome requirements from hindering private sector innovation.”
In its proposal, OpenAI urged the federal government to enact a series of “freedom-focused” policy ideas, including an approach that would no longer compel American AI developers to “comply with overly burdensome state laws.”
Copyright in particular is an issue that has plagued AI developers, as many continue to train their models on human work without informing the original creators, obtaining consent or providing compensation.
OpenAI has been sued by several news outlets including the Center for Investigative Reporting, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News over claims of copyright infringement. Several authors and visual artists have also taken legal action against the company over unauthorized use of their copyrighted content.
Still, OpenAI said it believes its strategy — the encouragement of “fair use” policies and fewer intellectual property restrictions — could “[protect] the rights and interests of content creators while also protecting America’s AI leadership and national security.” It did not elaborate on the former.
Many leaders in the AI industry and members of the Trump administration have framed America’s dominance in AI advancements as a matter of national security, comparing it to a high-stakes arms race.
“The federal government can both secure Americans’ freedom to…
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