AI could be an existential threat to publishers – that why Mumsnet is fighting back | Justine Roberts

After 25 years as a founder of Mumsnet, the author was shocked to learn that Google intended to overhaul UK copyright law to allow it to freely mine other publishers content for commercial gain without compensation. Mumsnet, which has experienced this practice firsthand, launched the first British legal action against tech giant OpenAI for scraping their content to train its large language model (LLM). The author argues that this practice is not only unfair to publishers but also poses an existential threat to them. The author points out that while Google has been crawling websites for search purposes, there is a value exchange in allowing Google to access data, such as search traffic. However, AI companies are building models with illegally scraped content, potentially replacing the very websites they are poised to replace. The author believes that allowing AI companies to steal content is not only unfair but also counterproductive, as it could lead to the demise of smaller publishers and the loss of unique content. Despite the potential benefits of AI, the author emphasizes the need for a fair value exchange between AI companies and content producers. The author highlights that Mumsnet has a unique position due to its direct traffic, which could help counter AI s gender bias. However, the author warns that Google s proposal to change copyright laws could lead to the loss of unique content and increased control of a few tech giants over the world s content and commerce. The author calls for the publishing industry and government to take action to ensure a fair and sustainable reward for content producers. They cite the recent Google antitrust trial in the US as evidence that big tech companies will exploit the law to grow their dominance. The author concludes that there is enough money in AI companies for everyone to be fairly compensated, but it requires action from the industry and government to prevent the loss of unique content and the concentration of power in a few tech giants.

Source: theguardian.com
Published on 2024-09-28