On October 2nd, COMMUNIA was invited to contribute to an event by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Future of Work programme in Brussels entitled “Rebooting the debate: Generative AI and creative work.”
COMMUNIA President and Open Future Policy Director Paul Keller provided a keynote speech on the current legal framework on copyright and AI, noting that Articles 3 and 4 of the DSM Directive were upheld and reinforced in the AI Act. He also acknowledged that there is a need to find a way to remunerate creative workers whose content is used to train AI systems.
The intervention was followed by a panel on “Generative AI from a legal and policy perspective”, where COMMUNIA Legal Director Teresa Nobre joined MEP Alex Agius Saliba (S&D), MEP Alexandra Geese (Greens/EFA) and Matthias Hornschuh (Initiative Urheberrecht) to examine generative AI from a legal and policy perspective.
During the panel, Teresa Nobre and both members of the European Parliament were in agreement that Europe should not stop the development and training of generative AI technology. That being said, the panelists also made it clear that the current system of opt-outs needs to be enforceable and that there needs to be a way to continue to ensure remuneration of creators.
This sparked a broader discussion on the available tools and the necessary steps to protect European creators while upholding the current legal framework and promoting innovation to strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy. Teresa Nobre noted that copyright may not be the only tool in the toolbox, a sentiment echoed by MEP Alex Agius Saliba.
A recording of the event is available via the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s website (hosted on YouTube).
