Reposted by Michelle Ilia 🌻
I bunged the Society of Authors / "ethical GenAI" kerfuffle into a blog post.
www.kjcharleswriter.com/all-blog-pos...
kjcharleswriter.com
Ethical GenAI and the Society of Authors — KJ Charles
A post on the Society of Authors’ “ethical AI” charter, written...actually, more in anger than in sorrow if I’m honest
![Hello
I am writing as a member about the SoA signing the Charter of Ethical AI Use in the Creative Industries.
Your pledge says "By offering ethical standards and a voluntary code for generative AI use, we in no way dismiss or disagree with serious concerns arising from its creation or application, including but not limited to the largescale use of creative work without transparency, permission or payment; the ongoing risk of displacement of creators’ work; the dilution of the market; and the environmental impacts."
This is meaningless. Offering an "ethical code" to deal with what you acknowledge to be an inherently unethical industry isn't a way of ameliorating harm: it's a fig leaf to protect the people who want to use this tech.
- I do not believe it is possible for a publisher to "balance" the benefits of GenAI in terms of reducing staff and creative costs (which, let's face it, is what it's for) against "the environmental, social, societal, economic, democratic and ethical impacts for humans and the planet".
- I do not believe that any publisher using GenAI is doing so with a view to investing in people's skills or sharing the benefits. Luckily they don't have to do so under your Charter, they only have to be "mindful" about its impact. Thoughts and prayers.
- As to "Where AI is used, it is used for good: to widen access, inclusion and opportunity and to increase discoverability, helping more creators, from more backgrounds, reach wider audiences, and help to make creative work more accessible to all"...this is meaningless word salad, an array of buzzwords entirely unrelated to what GenAI does or is for. All it does is support the idea that GenAI can be used for good in publishing and have a positive impact on creators, something which reality has, so far, not borne out in the slightest.
[cont in next skeet]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bln4loase2zucx4x7dwqqjlg/bafkreidrq6rrdtmfeiztk6fivyugrzc7ahlhvq7x3muadszyn4istftiva)
