The European Publishers Council – a Member of the News Media Coalition (NMC) – has joined a creative industry effort in underscoring the importance of collective commitment to safeguarding editorial integrity in the face of advancing AI technologies.
The EPC joined other prominent news media companies and industry organisations in publishing an open letter, ‘Preserving public trust in media through unified AI regulation and practices’.
The letter highlights the need for urgency in addressing bias, misinformation, and potential misuse stemming from AI-generated outputs. It has been supported by several members of the NMC including Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, EPA Images, Getty Images, and The Guardian Media Group. Fundamental to their appeal is a demand for disclosure of AI training datasets to ensure accountability and to reinforce trust placed in the media’s role as an information conduit.
Their concerns also extend to safeguarding the intellectual property rights of content creators whose work contributes to AI training, with a shared emphasis on collective determination to preserve the essence of journalistic enterprise in the face of technological progress.
Among the points raised in the letter are:
- Preserving Public Trust in Media Through Unified AI Regulation:
- AI and generative models have the potential for significant benefits, but unchecked use threatens public trust in media’s independence and quality. Democracy relies on trust in a free, reliable, independent, and strong media ecosystem.
- “We believe AI and generative models hold the potential to provide significant benefits to humanity; however, left unchecked, we also believe these technologies can threaten the sustainability of the media ecosystem as a whole.”
- Impact of AI on Media Ecosystem and Intellectual Property Rights:
- The pace of AI development exceeds past technological leaps, endangering long-standing intellectual property rights and creators’ investments.
- Generative AI enables mass production of synthetic content, distorting facts and undermining public discernment.
- Challenges Faced by Media Industry and Content Creators:
- Generative AI often uses proprietary media content without attribution or compensation, undermining core business models. Media diversity and financial viability are compromised, limiting investment in trustworthy information.
- “Such practices undermine the media industry’s core business models, which are predicated on readership and viewership (such as subscriptions), licensing, and advertising.”
- Proposed Regulatory and Industry Actions:
- Transparency regarding AI model training sets.
- Consent from intellectual property rights holders for content use in AI training and outputs.
- Collective negotiations between media companies and AI model operators regarding content access.
- Clear identification of AI-generated content and interactions.
- Efforts to eliminate bias and misinformation in generative AI services.
NMC Members Among the Signatories:
– Agence France-Presse
– The Associated Press
– EPA Images
– European Publishers Council
– Getty Images
– Guardian Media Group
