Generative AI search engines reduce the number of people who would visit the original websites. PHOTO: REUTERS
Rhea Yasmine
JUL 19, 2024,
ST Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition
TOKYO - Search engines powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are “free-riding” on news content, warned the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association in a statement on July 17.
Some experts say legislation to protect copyright is necessary due to the increasing risk of copyright infringement amid the spread of generative AI, which automatically produces elaborate texts using information from other sources.
Copyright infringement
In response to a search for the number of victims in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred on Jan 1, 2024, Google reported: “282 people were killed in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake as of June 19.”
The text appears to be based on multiple reports from TV stations and major newspapers. The description of the cause of the deaths was almost identical to that used in an article from a major newspaper.
In August 2023, Google began trialling a search-linked generative AI service called SGE (Search Generative Experience), which is built into its search engine.
With conventional search services, multiple websites are listed according to the keywords entered, and the user must click on the website to view the information.
In contrast, AI-powered search engines convert and process information from multiple websites, and display the results as a single text.
The Copyright Law states that search services are permitted to use another party’s copyrighted work without permission, provided that the use is minor and only to the extent deemed necessary for the purpose of the search.
Yet, the risk of copyright infringement has increased beyond “minor use” because AI-powered search engines generate long texts based on copyrighted articles.
The association’s statement emphasises the need to improve the legal system, including a revision of the law that suits the era of generative AI.
The association also noted cases where incorrect information is produced, and expressed concern that this could lead to the spread of misinformation.
Rhea Yasmine
JUL 19, 2024,
ST Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition
TOKYO - Search engines powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are “free-riding” on news content, warned the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association in a statement on July 17.
Some experts say legislation to protect copyright is necessary due to the increasing risk of copyright infringement amid the spread of generative AI, which automatically produces elaborate texts using information from other sources.
Copyright infringement
In response to a search for the number of victims in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred on Jan 1, 2024, Google reported: “282 people were killed in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake as of June 19.”
The text appears to be based on multiple reports from TV stations and major newspapers. The description of the cause of the deaths was almost identical to that used in an article from a major newspaper.
In August 2023, Google began trialling a search-linked generative AI service called SGE (Search Generative Experience), which is built into its search engine.
With conventional search services, multiple websites are listed according to the keywords entered, and the user must click on the website to view the information.
In contrast, AI-powered search engines convert and process information from multiple websites, and display the results as a single text.
The Copyright Law states that search services are permitted to use another party’s copyrighted work without permission, provided that the use is minor and only to the extent deemed necessary for the purpose of the search.
Yet, the risk of copyright infringement has increased beyond “minor use” because AI-powered search engines generate long texts based on copyrighted articles.
The association’s statement emphasises the need to improve the legal system, including a revision of the law that suits the era of generative AI.
The association also noted cases where incorrect information is produced, and expressed concern that this could lead to the spread of misinformation.
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Foundation of democracy
The statement warned that if such free-riding of articles and other content is not regulated, content production will die out, causing “irreversible damage to the foundation of democracy and the nation’s culture”.
Generative AI search engines, by providing users with a summary of information taken from various websites, reduce the number of visits to the original websites.
News organisations receive advertising revenue based on the number of views on their website.
The news media spend a great deal of effort and money on news gathering and reporting the news. If “free-riding” were allowed, the viability of providing accurate and diverse news coverage could be reduced.
An executive of a local newspaper said: “Our coypyrighted work is displayed in a very similar way ... It is like taking bread out of the mouths of our businesses... if the service is used for free”.
“If people no longer... access (the) websites (of the news media), advertising revenue will decrease, and news organisations and other primary information providers will be at a great disadvantage,” said Prof Makoto Nagatsuka of Hitotsubashi University, who specialises in copyright law.
“The legal system should be reviewed in light of the rapid progress of generative AI.”
In August 2023, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association, the Japan Photographic Copyright Association, and the Japan Book Publishers Association issued a joint statement with the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association calling for measures to protect their rights.
They said the current Copyright Law is favourable to AI learning, but is inadequate for copyright holders.
In other countries, efforts are underway to protect copyrighted works as well.
In May, the News Media Association, an industry group of about 2,000 newspaper and magazine publishers in the United States, asked the US Department of Justice and the US Federal Trade Commission to halt the expansion of AI search engine services, claiming that some operators were improperly using articles from newspapers and other media.
THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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