Today, we’re pleased to announce a new project generously supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The project, “Artificial Intelligence, Authorship, and the Public Interest,” aims to identify, clarify, and offer answers to some of the most challenging copyright questions posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and explain how this new technology can best advance knowledge and serve the public interest.
Artificial intelligence has dominated public conversation about the future of authorship and creativity for several years. Questions abound about how this technology will affect creators’ incentives, influence readership, and what it might mean for future research and learning.
At the heart of these questions is copyright law. Over two dozen class-action copyright lawsuits have been filed between November 2022 and today against companies such as Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Meta, and others. Additionally, congressional leadership, state legislatures, and regulatory agencies have held dozens of hearings to reconcile existing intellectual property law with artificial intelligence. As one of the primary legal mechanisms for promoting the “progress of science and the useful arts,” copyright law plays a critical role in creating, producing, and disseminating information.
We are convinced that how policymakers shape copyright law in response to AI will have a lasting impact on whether and how the law supports democratic values and serves the common good. That is why Authors Alliance has already devoted considerable effort to these issues, and this project will allow us to expand those efforts at this critical moment.
AI Legal Fellow
As part of the project, we’re pleased to add an AI Legal Fellow to our team to support the project. The position requires a law degree and demonstrated interest and experience with artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and legal technology issues. We’re particularly interested in someone with a demonstrated interest in how copyright law can serve the public interest. This role will require significant research and writing. Pay is $90,000/yr, and it is a two-year term position. Read more about the position here. We’ll begin reviewing applications immediately and do interviews on a rolling basis until filled.
As we get going, we’ll have much more to say about this project. We will have some funds available to support research subgrants, organize several workshops and symposia, and offer numerous opportunities for public engagement.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.