WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Rep. Schiff’s Groundbreaking AI Transparency Bill Gains Support from Entertainment Industry Leaders, Labor Unions
Washington, D.C.— Yesterday, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced groundbreaking legislation to require transparency from companies regarding their use of copyrighted work to train their generative AI models. Schiff’s Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act would require a notice to be submitted to the Register of Copyrights prior to the release of a new generative AI system with regard to all copyrighted works used in building or altering the training dataset for that system. The bill’s requirements would also apply retroactively to previously released generative AI systems and any significant alterations made to existing models.
See what leaders saying:
“Any effective regulatory regime for AI must start with one of the most fundamental building blocks of effective enforcement of creators’ rights - comprehensive and transparent recordkeeping. RIAA applauds Congressman Schiff for leading on this urgent and foundational issue,” said Ken Doroshow, Chief Legal Officer, Recording Industry Association of America.
“By requiring disclosure of copyrighted materials that are used to train AI systems, the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act will advance the development of reliable and trustworthy AI, which is a key part of supporting the US creative community and the economy," said Tracey Armstrong, CEO, Copyright Clearance Center.
“The Directors Guild of America commends this commonsense legislation, which is an important first step toward enabling filmmakers to protect their intellectual property from the potential harms caused by generative AI. We thank Representative Schiff for championing these rights that will protect filmmakers and the entire creative community,” said Lesli Linka Glatter, President, DGA.
“The Authors Guild applauds Representative Adam Schiff for introducing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act in response to the issues unregulated generative AI has created for authors and publishing. This bill creates a robust framework for transparency of copyrighted works in generative AI systems so that authors can determine when their works have been used to train an AI model and demand a license. This bill has our strong support, and we look forward to pushing it forward,” said Mary Rasenberger, CEO, The Authors Guild.
“NAVA strongly supports the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. The Register of Copyrights should have visibility into how the rights protected content that we create is used to train the AI systems threatening our livelihood. If there is nothing to hide, then responsible AI companies should support the legislation as well,” said Tim Friedlander, Co-Founder and President, National Association of Voice Actors.
“Professional Photographers of America and its 35,000 members strongly support this bill. Photographers are particularly susceptible to having their works scraped by generative AI companies, as they must publicly exhibit their best work to attract clients. The urgency of this issue should not be understated as copyright holders suffer from the harsh reality of competing with their own works taken by generative AI companies to develop their systems,” said David Trust, CEO, Professional Photographers of America.
“Everything generated by AI ultimately originates from a human creative source. That’s why human creative content—intellectual property—must be protected. SAG-AFTRA fully supports the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, as this legislation is an important step in ensuring technology serves people and not the other way around," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA.
“This bill is an important first step in addressing the unprecedented and unauthorized use of copyrighted materials to train generative AI systems. Greater transparency and guardrails around AI are necessary to protect writers and other creators,” said Meredith Stiehm, President, Writers Guild of America West.
“The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is an important piece of legislation that will ensure companies use this new and rapidly advancing technology in ethical and transparent ways. Given the scope and potential threat of AI, enforceable regulations are urgently needed to keep companies from implementing this technology in the shadows, without people’s consent or knowledge.” said Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President, Writers Guild of America East.
“Without transparency around the use of copyrighted works in training artificial intelligence, creators will never be fairly compensated and AI tech companies will continue stealing from songwriters. This bill is an important step toward ensuring that the law puts humans first, and we thank Congressman Schiff for his leadership,” said Elizabeth Matthews, CEO, ASCAP.
"The American Society for Collective Rights Licensing, the largest not-for-profit photography and illustrator association in the United States, enthusiastically supports the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. This bill, which helps visual material authors identify possible uses of their works and any applicable URL sources, along with other legislation, can play an important role in fairly and properly remunerating authors for the exploitation of their works for the purposes of generative AI machine learning," said James Lorin Silverberg, CEO, ASCRL.
“The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees commends Rep. Adam Schiff for introducing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. Entertainment workers must be fairly compensated when their work is used to train, develop or generate new works by AI systems. This legislation will ensure there is appropriate transparency of generative AI training sets, thereby enabling IATSE workers to enforce their rights,” said Matthew D. Loeb, International President, IATSE.
“By establishing clear guidelines and oversight mechanisms, this legislation represents a significant first step toward addressing the unprecedented challenges associated with ingestion of human-created copyrighted materials by generative AI systems. The bill underscores the need for collaboration among policymakers, industry stakeholders, and creators to ensure a fair and equitable digital ecosystem that respects intellectual property rights. We are excited to continue working with Congressman Schiff to advance this bill and protect creators in an increasingly AI-driven future,” said Ashley Irwin, President, Society of Composers & Lyricists.
“We commend Congressman Schiff for his leadership on the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. AI only works because it mines the work of millions of creators every day and it is essential that AI companies reveal exactly what works are training their data. This is a critical first step towards ensuring that AI companies fully license and that music creators are fully compensated for the work being used to fuel these platforms,” said David Israelite, President & CEO, National Music Publishers Association.
“The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is an important step to ensure that generative AI systems are developed in a transparent manner that respects music makers and their copyrights. Recording Academy thanks Congressman Schiff for his continued leadership to protect creators, and we look forward to advancing the bill this congress,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO, Recording Academy.
“Thank you to Representative Adam Schiff for introducing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. This is a necessary first step to ensuring that creators’ rights to authorize and license their works in a free market are protected and we strongly encourage the rest of the U.S. legislature to support this bill and help make it law,” said Dina LaPolt, Board Member, Songwriters of North America.
“Protecting the work of music creators is essential, and this all begins with transparency and tracking the use of copyrighted materials in generative AI. BMAC hopes Rep. Schiff’s Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act helps garner support for this mission and that author and creator rights continue to be protected and preserved,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Co-Chair, Black Music Action Coalition.
“Congressman Schiff has a history of supporting artists and this continues with his sponsorship of the Generative AI Copyright Act. The Music Artists Coalition applauds the lawmakers who are standing with us to make sure AI helps artists instead of hurting them,” said Susan Genco, Co-Founder & Board Member, Music Artists Coalition.
“Concept Art Association is an advocacy organization for artists working in live action film and tv, video games and animation. We strongly support the Generative AI Copyright and Disclosure Act because right now, artists don’t know when their works have been scraped by generative AI companies until they see them competing against their own work in the marketplace or become distorted versions that denigrates the value of their art. This bill will go a long way to solve one of our major concerns about generative AI, which is the lack of transparency,” said Rachel Meinerding and Nicole Hendrix Herman, Founders, Concept Art Association.
“Congressman Schiff’s proposal is a big step forward towards responsible AI that partners with artists and creators instead of exploiting them. AI companies should stop hiding the ball when they copy creative works into AI systems and embrace clear rules of the road for recordkeeping that create a level and transparent playing field for the development and licensing of genuinely innovative applications and tools,” said Dr. Moiya McTier, Senior Advisor, Human Artistry Campaign.
“The right for copyright owners to seek fair compensation from AI companies begins with the right to know. Congressman Schiff’s proposal is a crucial step in building a regulatory framework for independent music creators to share in the benefits of generative AI when systems are built off their intellectual property,” said Dr. Richard James Burgess, President and CEO, American Association of Independent Music.
“Artists Rights Society (ARS), with over 120,000 fine artist members worldwide, fully supports Rep. Schiff’s bill requiring those who establish an AI data set, or who have already done so, to reveal and register with the Copyright Office the identity of all copyrighted works employed in the data set," said Janet Hicks, Vice President, Director of Licensing, Artists Rights Society (ARS).
"We thank Congressman Schiff for supporting songwriters, composers, and music creators by standing up to AI Tech Companies. The “Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act” would help ensure transparency and accountability when AI systems exploit the work of creators’ without their knowledge or consent. AI holds great promise for our industry. But these systems can’t be built at the expense of creators," said Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI.
“SESAC Music Group applauds Representative Schiff’s leadership on recordkeeping and transparency for AI. By creating a simple way for songwriters to learn if their work is used by AI, the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act incentivizes developers to get consent before using copyrighted works and ensures songwriters can enforce their rights against those who don’t. AI should be responsible, transparent, and fully licensed, not a black hole for unauthorized use of copyrighted works," said John Josephson, Chairman and CEO, SESAC Music Group.
The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is supported by the Recording Industry Association of America, Copyright Clearance Center, Directors Guild of America, Authors Guild, National Association of Voice Actors, Concept Art Association, Professional Photographers of America, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, American Society for Collective Rights Licensing, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Society of Composers and Lyricists, National Music Publishers Association, Recording Academy, Nashville Songwriters Association International, Songwriters of North America, Black Music Action Coalition, Music Artist Coalition, Human Artistry Campaign, Artists Rights Society, Universal Music Group, Broadcast Music, Inc., and the American Association of Independent Music.
See what people are saying about Rep. Schiff’s Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act on social media:
SAG-AFTRA: @Sagaftra: "Everything generated by AI ultimately originates from a human creative source. That’s why human creative content—intellectual property—must be protected." - SAG-AFTRA NED & Chief Negotiator @DuncanCI. SAG-AFTRA is proud to support this legislation.
Human Artistry Campaign: @human_artistry: “#BREAKING: @RepAdamSchiff will introduce legislation for AI models to disclose any copyrighted works used in training. This is an exciting new development taking on generative AI & protecting creators at the national level!
NAVA: @NAVAVOICES: In the age of AI, protecting creative rights is more important than ever. The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act by @RepAdamSchiff is a critical step forward, and we proudly support it.
A2IM: @a2im: In the age of AI, protecting creative rights is more important than ever. The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act by @RepAdamSchiff is a critical step forward, and A2IM proudly supports it.
Authors Guild: @AuthorsGuild: In the age of AI, protecting creative rights is more important than ever. The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act by @RepAdamSchiff is a critical step forward, and we proudly support it.
Writers Guild of America West: @WGAWest: Generative AI can generate only because of copyrighted works—works these models have co-opted without consent, compensation, or transparency. WGAW is pleased to support @RepAdamSchiff’s Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act as a first step towards addressing this theft-based AI model.
ASCAP: @ascap: In the age of AI, the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is an important step to ensure we’re putting human creators first. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3vSCDRS
Directors Guild: @DGA:“The DGA commends this legislation, an important first step toward enabling filmmakers to protect their IP from the potential harms caused by generative AI. We thank Rep. Schiff for championing these rights that will protect filmmakers...” – DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees: @IATSE: IATSE commends Rep. Adam Schiff for introducing the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act. Entertainment workers must be fairly compensated when their work is used to train, develop or generate new works by AI systems. This legislation will ensure there is appropriate transparency of generative AI training sets, thereby enabling IATSE workers to enforce their rights.
Broadcast Music Inc.: @BMI: It’s human creativity that powers AI – and makes advancements possible. The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act is a critical step to safeguard creators' rights and work. A big thank you to @RepAdamSchiff for supporting music creators.
To read the full bill text, click HERE.
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