AI is generating a ‘Frankenstein-like’ product on stolen creative work

Creative industry representatives appearing at a senate inquiry last week gave evidence against Large Language Models (LLMs) having free and unrestricted access to Australian content. An RMIT expert explains how this could directly impact artists and the creative industry.

Sam Whiting, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, Media and Communication

"Gen AI is beginning to replace the work of creative professionals at an alarming rate. In any other context or industry, this policy, called the text and data mining exception, would amount to large-scale theft of property.

"Voice acting, background music composition, and graphic and visual design content generated by LLMs is largely inspired by stolen work.

"The result is a Frankenstein-like product, cobbled together from stolen work, and replacing artists from whom the work has been stolen. Beyond the concerns about intellectual property rights, what LLMs are really doing is replacing artists.

"Lawmakers need to consider how LLMs generate content using stolen data and stolen labour. We need a legislative framework that protects creative workers and remunerates them properly for their work."

Sam Whiting is a Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University and a 2024 Churchill Fellowship recipient. His published work is primarily focused on issues of capital, labour, and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy, specifically the political economy of the music industries.

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