Student Guide to Generative Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence offers several challenges related to copyright and intellectual property, including those related to: 

• Training data: Can copyrighted materials be used to train for-profit AI tools? Generative AI tools are generally trained on extensive and broad sets of training data that could include images, text, video, audio, raw data, and other information types. AI developers such as OpenAI and Google have not always been transparent about whether they have trained their AI on copyrighted material, and many copyright holders have filed lawsuits against AI developers, claiming their copyright-protected works have been improperly used to train AI tools.
   
• Information uploaded or added to an AI tool: When you upload content to an AI tool, are you handing over copyright ownership to the developer? The answer depends on the fine print that you agreed to when you uploaded or entered your content to the AI tool. Similarly, you might be violating copyright or licensing agreements if you upload copyrighted material to an AI tool, such as uploading a pdf of a journal article to an AI tool that summarizes academic articles. Questions about uploading library-licensed content to an AI tool should be directed to the librarian for your school.
   
• AI output: Can you copyright content fully generated by an AI tool? This issue is still being decided in courtrooms around the world, and it's still unclear what the future holds on this topic, as copyright is generally granted only for human-created content. If you do apply for a copyright with the US Copyright Office for content that was partially created by AI, you must include a statement attesting to your use of AI: “An applicant who creatively arranges the human and non-human content within a work should fill out the 'Author Created' field to claim: 'Selection, coordination, and arrangement of [describe human- authored content] created by the author and [describe AI content] generated by artificial intelligence.”

"Copyright and Intellectual Property." Artificial Intelligence, Syracuse University Libraries, 2 
 Oct. 2024, researchguides.library.syr.edu/c.php?g=1341750&p=10298151. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024. 

While AI tools often generate output that appears authoritative and confident, these tools often don't show the process they used to create that content or the sources they based the generated content on. In fact, AI tools often fabricate imaginary sources that they claim were used to create the generated content. 

• What datasets were used to train the AI tool?
• Are the outputs valid & reliable? 
• Are the results/output reproducible? How would you know?
• Are the sources cited in the generated text real, or are they "hallucinations" created by the tools themselves? 
• How might the outputs be biased, either intentionally or unintentionally? 

"Other Ethical and Practical Concerns." Artificial Intelligence, Syracuse University, 2 Oct. 2024, 
     researchguides.library.syr.edu/c.php?g=1341750&p=10298192. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024. 

When you upload material into an AI tool, it's often unclear whether the developer will retain that information, use it to train its AI tools, or even share this information with other users of the tool. Ultimately, if you want to keep information private, don't upload it into AI tools, such as when asking a tool to help improve your grammar and writing.

Before you enter information, ask yourself:

• Are you uploading sensitive or confidential information, such as participant interviews or your own personal information? 
• If your research requires Institutional Review Board approval, would uploading or pasting research materials into an AI tool violate your IRB protocol? Contact the Institutional Review Board if you have questions about AI, data privacy, and your IRB.
• Are you sure that your intellectual property wouldn't be used with or without your permission? This could be especially important to students, researchers, or other scholars who hope to publish their groundbreaking research. 

"Other Ethical and Practical Concerns." Artificial Intelligence, Syracuse University, 2 Oct. 2024, 
     researchguides.library.syr.edu/c.php?g=1341750&p=10298192. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024. 

In addition to the above considerations, it's important to consider the broader impact that AI use has on individuals, society, and the environment. 

• Have you considered issues related to the costs of AI, and who can afford access to these tools? 
• Have you considered the environmental impact of your use of AI? 
• What about the cost of human labor to develop AI, such as with content moderators? 

"Other Ethical and Practical Concerns." Artificial Intelligence, Syracuse University, 2 Oct. 2024, 
     researchguides.library.syr.edu/c.php?g=1341750&p=10298192. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.