In a recent address, Donald Trump expressed his views on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law, emphasizing the need for pragmatic regulations that support innovation in the U.S. AI sector.
Trump’s Stance on AI and Copyright Issues
Donald Trump stated that AI companies should not be expected to pay for copyrighted content utilized in their systems, amidst an ongoing debate regarding intellectual property in training models.
Key Remarks at the AI Summit
During his speech at the AI Summit on Wednesday, Trump remarked, “You can’t be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or whatever you’ve studied you’re expected to pay for. We appreciate that, but you just can’t do that because it’s not do-able. And if you’re going to try and do that, you’re not going to have a successful program.”
Call for Common Sense Regulations
Trump advocated for what he termed “common sense artificial and intellectual property rules,” emphasizing that the U.S. cannot afford to lag behind China, which lacks stringent IP protections.
He added, “When a person reads a book or an article, you’ve gained great knowledge. That does not mean that you’re violating copyright laws or have to make deals with every content provider. You just can’t do it. China’s not doing it.”
AI Action Plan Overview
His address coincided with the White House’s announcement of an AI Action Plan aimed at enhancing the nation’s AI capabilities, including the establishment of data centers and the removal of regulatory obstacles.
This plan contrasts sharply with the approach of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, who emphasized the government’s role in ensuring technology safety.
Updating Federal Guidelines
The Trump administration’s plan also suggests revising federal procurement guidelines to ensure that contracts are awarded only to large language model (LLM) developers who guarantee objectivity and freedom from ideological bias. Additionally, it recommends updating the National Institute of Standards and Technology AI Risk Management Framework by eliminating references to misinformation, DEI, and climate change.
Free Speech and AI
“We must ensure that free speech flourishes in the era of AI and that AI procured by the Federal government objectively reflects truth rather than social engineering agendas,” the plan states.
Concerns Over Copyright and Content Use
However, the plan does not address copyright concerns or the worries of content creators regarding the utilization of their material in training models, which has led to numerous lawsuits against AI firms by authors and studios like Disney and NBCUniversal.
Legislative Developments
On Monday, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation requiring AI companies to obtain consent from individuals before using their content and data for AI development.
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Trump’s comments indicate opposition to this approach. While OpenAI has established licensing agreements with companies like News Corp and the Associated Press, the tech industry argues that using content for training models constitutes “fair use.”
Complexity of Copyright Negotiations
Trump stated, “When you have something, and when you read something, and when it goes into this vast intelligence machine, you cannot expect to every time, every single time, say, ‘Let’s pay this one that much.’ It just doesn’t work that way. Of course, you can’t copy or plagiarize an article, but if you read an article and learn from it, we have to allow AI to use that pool of knowledge without going through the complexity of contract negotiations.”
Addressing Deepfake Risks
The AI Action Plan also acknowledges the risks associated with deepfakes, whether they be audio recordings, videos, or photos. It references the recently passed Take It Down Act, championed by First Lady Melania Trump, aimed at combating sexually explicit, non-consensual deepfakes, while highlighting the need for “additional action.” Specifically, it calls for establishing formal guidelines and a voluntary forensic framework for assessing evidence veracity in legal contexts.
National Security and Privacy Considerations
Despite lacking the safety focus of Biden’s approach, the White House AI proposals outline risks in areas such as national security and individual privacy.
“The United States must lead the creation of the world’s largest and highest quality AI-ready scientific datasets while maintaining respect for individual rights and ensuring civil liberties, privacy, and confidentiality protections,” the plan asserts.
Federal vs. State Regulation
The plan also critiques state regulation, asserting that the federal government “should not allow AI-related federal funding to be directed toward states with burdensome AI regulations that waste these funds, but should also not interfere with states’ rights to pass prudent laws that are not unduly restrictive to innovation.” It recommends that the FCC review state laws and the FTC examine final orders, consent decrees, and injunctions “that unduly burden AI innovation.”
Conclusion
In his speech, Trump emphasized the necessity for “a single federal standard, not 50 different states regulating this industry of the future.”
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Trump’s AI plan for its attack on state laws, noting that it “threatens to defund states like California with strong laws against AI-generated child porn. Some might say that’s an interesting priority — particularly in light of his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein.”
