“Fair compensation to publishers from artificial intelligence giants”

ROMA — Generative algorithms create content, including editorial and artistic content, in a few seconds, thanks to a particular fuel: the works of humans visible on the Internet.

For years, the artificial intelligence giants (such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI) have been engaged in this type of trawling. The prey is articles, books, studies, including scientific ones, photos, videos, everything humanity has produced in its history.

This boundless amount of data is transferred to generative algorithms so that they can perfect their ability to emulate and imitate man’s skills. Their fuel is us.

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In defense of the editorial staff

The scenario is very clear to the “Artificial Intelligence Commission for Information” that the undersecretary Alberto Barachini (Publishing) set up at the Presidency of the Council.

The Commission of Experts, led by the theologian Paolo Benantiis studying the impact that generative algorithms have and will increasingly have on journalism. And, in his first report on the topic, the Benanti Commission stands in defense of publishers and above all of editorial staff.

As countless cases in the world demonstrate, AI giants are brutally taking over the content of our editors and journalists even when they are protected by copyright.

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Input and training

For this reason, the Benanti Commission asks the government to commit to ensuring that the AI ​​giants now recognize fair compensation. Publishers will have to authorize access to their content, after a contract that generates monetization in their favor.

For this mechanism to work, a registry must be opened and then updated. In the register, the AI ​​giants themselves will indicate which information contents they are “using for input and training of the algorithm”.

Then there is the question of employment. Heard at the hearing by the Benanti Commission, the union of Italian journalists (Fnsi) recalled that the profession is practiced by correspondents in Ukraine and the West Bank or by reporters who force heads of state to resign.

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Public contributions

But a “significant part” of reporters works – we read in the Report – in a “compilation” form. It is precisely these jobs that algorithms are already threatening.

For this reason, the Benanti Commission advises the government to increasingly restrict “public contributions in the publishing sector” to compliance with a key condition: the “protection of employment” of people.

Finally, the Fieg editors raise the problem of viewing news and advertising. There is a serious problem on the horizon.

Sites updated by algorithmic journalists alone could refer, with links, to other sites created by algorithms alone. In this scenario, Valuable content risks being obscured just because it is signed by women and men.