OpenAI Urges US Government to Codify 'Fair Use' for AI Training

OpenAI Advocates for Copyright Flexibility in US AI Policy

As part of its contribution to the U.S. government’s “AI Action Plan” – an initiative launched by the Trump administration to redefine American AI policy – OpenAI has advocated for a U.S. copyright framework that safeguards the capacity of American AI models to derive knowledge from copyrighted material.

OpenAI asserted that the existing fair use doctrine is a key driver of innovation within the AI sector. The company stated that the U.S. leads in AI startups, investment, and research advancements due to this doctrine’s encouragement of AI development.

Previous Statements on AI Training Data

This isn't the first instance of OpenAI, a company that has extensively trained its models using publicly accessible web data – often without explicit permission from the data’s owners – arguing for less restrictive legal and regulatory guidelines concerning AI training.

Previously, OpenAI submitted a statement to the U.K.’s House of Lords. Within this submission, the company indicated that restricting AI training to solely public domain content, while potentially interesting as an experiment, would not result in AI systems capable of fulfilling current societal requirements.

Copyright Disputes and OpenAI’s Position

The position taken by OpenAI is likely to be contested by content creators who have initiated legal action against the company alleging copyright infringement. These parties will undoubtedly challenge OpenAI’s renewed emphasis on this perspective.

OpenAI believes maintaining access to copyrighted works is crucial for continued progress. The company’s stance highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the balance between intellectual property rights and the advancement of artificial intelligence.

• Key Argument: Fair use is essential for AI innovation.
• Concern: Limiting training data hinders AI system capabilities.
• Context: OpenAI has utilized web data for training, sometimes without consent.