The Training Wheels Are Off: The Copyright Implications Of Training Generative AI

With the introduction of several readily available applications, artificial intelligence (AI) has leaped into the mainstream and brought with it a host of legal questions.

Following the release in November of the now popular generative AI platform ChatGPT by OpenAI, companies including Microsoft and Google are rushing to release their own generative AI services or integrate them into their existing offerings. With a growth in attention-grabbing AI antics, like actor Ryan Reynolds using ChatGPT to craft, in his words, a "mildly terrifying" ad for Mint Mobile, companies are increasingly contemplating how AI will change the nature of work.

AI's myriad of applications all depend on the strength and quality of the algorithm, which relies on training data. Several recent, high-profile lawsuits raise the issue of whether such training algorithms violate copyright law's restrictions on creating derivative works without the creators' consent.