Studio Ghibli and other Japanese publishers want OpenAI to stop coaching their work

A Japanese trade organization representing publishers such as Studio Ghibli wrote a letter to OpenAI last week, calling on the AI ​​giant to do just that Stop training Their artificial intelligence models contain their copyrighted content without permission.

Studio Ghibli, the animation studio that produced films like “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro,” has been particularly impressed by OpenAI’s generative AI products. When ChatGPT’s original image generator was released in March, it became a Popular trend For users to ask to recreate their personal photos or pet photos in studio movie style. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has changed His profile picture is on X To the “gibbled” image.

Now, as more people get access to OpenAI’s Sora app and video generator, Japan’s Overseas Content Distribution Association (CODA) has asked OpenAI to refrain from using its members’ content for machine learning without permission.

This demand does not come suddenly. OpenAI’s approach to copyrighted content is to ask for forgiveness, not permission, which has made it very easy for users to create images and videos Copyrighted characters and Deceased celebrities. This approach has led to complaints from institutions such as: Nintendobesides The estate by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which can easily be deepfake on the Sora app.

It is up to OpenAI to choose whether or not to cooperate with these requests; If not, aggrieved parties could file a lawsuit, although US law remains unclear about the use of copyrighted materials for AI training.

There is little precedent yet to guide judges on their interpretation of copyright law It has not been updated Since 1976. However, a recent ruling by US Federal Judge William Alsop found this to be humane Did not violate the law By training its AI on copyrighted books, the company was fined for pirating the books it used for training.

But Japan’s Overseas Content Distribution Association (CODA) claims this may be considered copyright infringement in Japan.

“In cases, such as with Sora 2, where specific copyrighted works are reproduced or similarly generated as output, CODA considers that the act of copying during the machine learning process may constitute copyright infringement,” CODA wrote. “Under Japan’s copyright system, prior permission is generally required to use copyrighted works, and there is no system that allows a person to avoid liability for infringement through subsequent objections.”

Hayao Miyazaki, one of Studio Ghibli’s central creative figures, has not commented directly on the prevalence of AI-generated interpretations of his works. However, when he was shown an AI-generated 3D animation in 2016, he said: He responded That he was “absolutely disgusted.”

“I can’t watch these things and find them interesting,” he said at the time. “I feel strongly that this is an insult to life itself.”