With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, how to ensure that the works of content creators are not used illegally has become a global focus.USASenateA bipartisan group of lawmakers recently proposed a newbill- The COPIED Act, which aims to simplify the verification and detection of content generated by AI and protect journalists and artists from having their work used by AI models without permission.
Source: The image is generated by AI, and the image is authorized by Midjourney
The COPIED Act, or the "Content Origin Protection and Deep Fake Media Integrity Act," requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards and guidelines that help prove the origin of content and detect synthetic content, such as through watermarking. The bill also requires the agency to create security measures to prevent tampering and requires AI tools used for creative or news content to allow users to attach information about its source and prohibit the removal of this information. Such content also cannot be used to train AI models, according to the bill.
Content owners, including broadcasters, artists and newspapers, would be able to sue companies they believe are using their material without permission or tampering with certification marks. State attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission could also enforce the bill, which supporters say would prohibit anyone from "removing, disabling or tampering with content provenance information" under certain exceptions for security research purposes.
The COPIED Act is the latest step in the Senate’s efforts to understand and regulate AI technology. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has led an effort to develop an AI roadmap for the Senate but has made clear that new laws will be developed in committees. The COPIED Act has the support of a powerful committee leader, Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Senate AI Task Force member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Commerce Committee member Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) are also pushing the bill.
Several publishing and artist groups, including the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the Recording Industry Association of America, the Press/Media Alliance and the Artists Rights Coalition, issued statements welcoming the introduction of the bill.
“AI’s ability to generate stunningly accurate digital performers poses a real and imminent threat to our members’ economic and reputational well-being, and autonomy,” said Duncan Crabtree-Irish, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator, in a statement. “We need a fully transparent and accountable supply chain for generative AI and the content it creates to protect everyone’s fundamental right to control the use of their face, voice, and personality.”