Target: Maria Cantwell, Chair of U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Goal: Support further research and investigation into legal implications of and ethical concerns about AI-driven technology.
Technology that can almost instantaneously craft works of art, speeches, stories, or any other number of time-consuming tasks is an enticing proposition for many consumers. The lightning-rod success of endeavors like Chat GPT (a chatbot) and DALL-E (an image generator) is testament to the increasing foothold of artificial intelligence applications in the marketplace. But is this intriguing tech coming at too high a cost?
In order to “train” AI technology, creators will scrape the internet for material that the tech learns and incorporates into its applications. A sizeable percentage of this material is copyrighted and owned by individuals who must give their permission for the material’s usage. Yet the AI technology gives no such credit, and the original creators of these content collages reap no financial benefits.
Even images or insights that you, the reader, have posted online could become fodder for this technology. AI research laboratories such as Open AI, as well as their corporate backers, have recently become the subject of a class-action lawsuit involving copyright infringement and other serious allegations. Until these controversies are settled in the legal realm, consumers of AI tech are at risk of unwittingly breaking the law every time they use these programs to “create” content.
Sign the petition below to urge Congress to implement a select subcommittee or panel to investigate the wide-spread implications of this controversial and potentially damaging technology.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Cantwell,
Artificial intelligence does hold tremendous promise as a forward-thinking and applicable technology. In its early stages, however, this tech is experiencing some growing pains. The potential for broad-scale copyright infringement of source codes and content is chief among these concerns for content creators that do not want their hard work stolen and from content consumers who may not want to benefit from unknowing plagiarism.
Ongoing lawsuits may partially settle these matters in the courts. As the maker and establisher of laws, however, Congress should be informed and ready to act on this divisive subject. Please support an investigative panel and committee to help determine the legal future of AI-powered tools and technology because the future is quickly becoming now.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sven Behnke
715 Signatures