Artificial Intelligence: Existential Threat or Just Another Tech Toy?

Saturday, July 22 | 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Artificial Intelligence started “trending” in 2022 as generative AIs like DALL-E, Stability AI, and Midjourney produced strikingly competent visual works based on simple prompts written by users who have no skills as illustrators, painters, or designers. Unlike other hot topics that fade quickly in the blogosphere, AI is here to stay in one form or another—and some AIs are already telling us what we should think about them.

In David’s writing, he has repeated the view shared by many that “AI art” is a meaningless contradiction in terms. But that opinion is admittedly quixotic because AI works are being made, will continue to be made, and will become more sophisticated very quickly. He will discuss key topics, people, and organizations worth following and has left room to adapt this presentation between now and July, as the AI story changes every day.

Learning Objectives: After participating in this session, attendees should understand the copyright considerations associated with using protected works to train AIs; discuss some of the legal arguments that will be raised by AI proponents; discuss the nature of authorship in their own (eventual) AI-assisted works; discuss some ethical/philosophical questions posed by AI-generated visual art.

Keywords: Art; Law; Copyright; Artists Rights; Litigation; Legislation; Infringement; AI; Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Authorship

About the Presenter
David Newhoff is a writer and copyright advocate. After majoring in Film at Bard College, he worked for over 25 years as a freelance producer, director, and editor on projects in the commercial and industrial market. He began his copyright advocacy in 2011, working with the organization Copyright Alliance, and his blog The Illusion of More is followed and cited by law and policy experts, academics, and the creative community. In 2020, he published his first book Who Invented Oscar Wilde: The Photograph at the Center of Modern American Copyright, which was a 2021 AAP PROSE Award Finalist in Media and Culture Studies. In late 2021, he co-founded RightsClick, Inc. with attorney and consultant Steven Tepp to develop software to help independent creators manage their copyright rights.