Publishing Giant Makes Shocking Move To Protect Creators From AI - But Is It Enough?

The world of publishing has been abuzz with the latest move by Penguin Random House, the largest publishing house globally, to protect its authors from the ever-encroaching realm of artificial intelligence. The Bookseller reports that the publishing giant has amended the copyright rules at the front of its books, essentially drawing a line in the sand when it comes to using its titles as a source for AI training.

The new wording on the copyright page clearly states that "No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems." This updated language essentially means that AI makers will no longer be able to borrow from Penguin Random House's vast library of titles to train their models.

This move by Penguin Random House is part of a growing trend in the publishing industry to shield authors and creators from the potential risks associated with AI models. The company has also stated that it "expressly reserves [the titles] from the text and data mining exception," a clause that was recently included in a European Parliament directive regarding text and data mining exceptions and ownership.

This directive essentially safeguards the intellectual property rights of authors and creators by preventing AI models from absorbing data from their works. This comes as a welcome relief to many authors, who have long expressed concern about the potential for AI models to plagiarize their work.

Penguin Random House is not the only publishing company to take action against AI models. Earlier this week, The New York Times issued a cease and desist letter to the AI startup Perplexity, effectively shutting down the company's ability to use its articles and stories to help its AI model generate answers for users.

The move by Penguin Random House and The New York Times serves as a shot across the bow for AI makers, warning them that they can no longer borrow from the works of others without permission. This is a crucial development in the ongoing debate about the intersection of AI and intellectual property.

However, some have questioned whether this move by Penguin Random House is enough to protect its authors and creators from the risks associated with AI models. Others have raised concerns about the practicality of policing this new policy, particularly in situations where AI models are based in other countries or regions with differing copyright laws.

One thing is certain, however - the publishing industry is waking up to the reality of AI and is taking steps to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors and creators. Whether this move by Penguin Random House will be enough to protect them remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly an important step in the right direction.