We know that some terms of service in publishing have already included clauses allowing the use of authors’ work to train AI – for example, Findaway Voices – and we are now hearing that authors in the US are being asked by publishers to agree to clauses which allow their work to be used to train generative AI.

To the best of our knowledge, this is not happening in Australia. However, as a general and preemptive comment, it is the ASA’s view that authors and illustrators should not sign any contracts which give a third party permission to use their work in AI training datasets. This is because it is currently uncertain how AI companies will credit and compensate authors and artists for such use.

Do you want your work to assist machine learning? Under what circumstances and on what terms? If you are being asked to give such consents, and you have uncertainties, please get in touch with the ASA: [email protected].