Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are rapidly being used in many sectors, companies, and organizations to create content of all kinds. These tools offer both a significant opportunity to promote creative and business activities and a considerable legal risk, even leading to existential threats for countless artists.
This is primarily due to existing uncertainties and a lack of legal frameworks, particularly regarding intellectual property issues. Generative AI brings with it a multitude of risks, problems, and open questions that urgently require political and legal solutions.
Some even speak of this as the greatest expropriation of intellectual creativity in the history of mankind. This reflects the magnitude of the problem.”
The German Cultural Council also demands that the interests of authors must finally be taken into account when using generative AI .
What is the core of the problem?
The German Cultural Council has issued a statement on copyright aspects in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) . It makes clear that numerous authors, practicing artists, creative minds, and companies in the cultural and creative industries are strongly interested in applying these new technologies to their work.
They are using and experimenting with these technologies. However, as the German Cultural Council notes, the development of AI is not merely a novel technological innovation. Rather, it generates machine-generated results that are increasingly indistinguishable from human creations, and whose development process cannot be traced by humans. This is a fundamental shift, the consequences of which are not yet foreseeable.
The development of AI models is progressing at a breathtaking pace. In particular, general-purpose AI modelsthat generate content in the form of text, images, audio, and video ("generative AI") have quickly become a central topic in the copyright debate. Generative AI has significant, sometimes existential, consequences for copyright holders and practicing artists.
This illustration aims to highlight the dramatic nature of the current debate surrounding copyright in generative AI and was created using the image-generating AI ImageFlash . The problem: It remains unclear which creative works and training data were used, and financial compensation for these creators is currently highly unlikely.
The same applies to other rights holders such as publishers, film and music producers, game developers, and broadcasters. Furthermore, AI is also highly relevant for educational institutions, memory institutions, and libraries. Most stakeholders face both risks and opportunities, to varying degrees.
Copyright issues surrounding AI are highly controversial and urgently require clarification. While they are now being addressed at the international, European, and national levels, a reliable copyright framework is still lacking.
As early as April 2024, a panel at the FutureLaw Conference 2024 of Stanford Law School examined pressing questions about copyright and discussed technical solutions:
However, given the immense threat and financial damage to copyright holders worldwide, the pace and implementation of recommendations for action should be significantly faster.
What are the demands of the German Cultural Council?
In its statement, the German Cultural Council first undertakes a copyright inventory and, based on this, presents initial considerations for possible legal regulations. This concerns both copyright regulations relating to the "input," i.e., the training of generative AI systems, and the "output," i.e., the use of contentcreated by generative AI. It addresses transparency and labeling requirements for the use of AI-generated content.
The German Cultural Council calls for a balance of the interests of all parties involved, in particular consideration of the interests of authors, performing artists and all other rights holders
In the event of use, it is imperative that appropriate remuneration is paid, which allows the rights holders to participate in the economic benefits arising from the use of the protected works and services in AI training and subsequent uses.
The German Cultural Council calls for a comprehensive legal policy discussion on the open copyright issues. This discussion has not yet taken place sufficiently.
The managing director of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, said verbatim:
“The issue of artificial intelligence raises highly complex copyright questions. If we fail to establish secure legal frameworks in this area, authors and companies in the cultural and creative industries will face an existential threat. The future federal government must give due consideration to the demands of the German Cultural Council regarding the use of AI-generated content and create reliable legal regulations. Only in this way can damage to the cultural sector be averted.”
Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.
In this magazine section you will find numerous reports and articles about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in art, design and architecture.
It's not just about the question of how AI can be used in these areas, but also about the impact this has on creative creation.
While some experts believe that the use of AI will lead to a revolution in art and design, there are also voices within the industry itself who are skeptical of AI art and AI-powered image generators .
An early example from 2016 of the use of AI in art is the project "The Next Rembrandt". Here, software was developed that created a new painting in the style of the Dutch painter based on data analysis – without human intervention.
The result was surprisingly realistic and clearly demonstrated the potential of this technology even back then.
What does this development mean for traditional crafts? Will they become obsolete, or can new opportunities be created?
These questions occupy many people both within and outside the industry alike.
In any case, the connection between art and artificial intelligence offers us exciting insights into possible future scenarios.
We warmly invite you to embark on an adventure of discovery with us!
Handwoven tapestry "Samburu Woman" (white) by Mario Gerth, sound-absorbing
444,00 € – 1.044,00 €
