OpenAI, the prominent tech company known for its advancements in artificial intelligence, is reportedly facing increased scrutiny following delays in delivering a promised feature intended to give creators more control over their works in AI training. The tool, dubbed Media Manager, was announced in May 2023 with the goal of allowing users to specify their preferences for how copyrighted text, images, audio, and video would be included or excluded in the company's training datasets. However, as of December 2023, there have been no significant updates regarding its development.

According to OpenAI, the Media Manager was envisioned to help navigate copyright issues and offer protection against intellectual property-related legal challenges by accurately reflecting creators' preferences across various sources. Despite the initial enthusiasm, TechCrunch reported that this tool was not viewed as a priority within the company, with a former OpenAI employee stating, “I don’t think it was a priority. To be honest, I don’t remember anyone working on it.”

The delay in the rollout of Media Manager comes amidst a backdrop of legal challenges surrounding OpenAI's operational practices, particularly regarding the data usage and training of its AI models. Central to these challenges are concerns over privacy violations and the potential infringement of intellectual property rights as AI technologies often rely on large datasets that may contain copyrighted material. The murky waters surrounding ownership rights for content generated by OpenAI’s models also raise questions, particularly about whether rights belong to OpenAI, the user issuing prompts, or the original creators of the data.

Compounding these issues, there are growing apprehensions about the liability OpenAI may face for harmful outputs from its AI. If the AI generates misleading or defamatory information, the legal responsibility for such content could potentially fall back to OpenAI.

Furthermore, with an international push towards stricter regulations for AI technologies, including compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and others focused on fairness and transparency, OpenAI may encounter additional legal hurdles as it navigates the ever-evolving regulatory landscape.

OpenAI has yet to provide any substantial updates regarding the progress of the Media Manager, which had a self-imposed deadline for its implementation set for "by 2025." This suggests that the company may have missed its target for the tool's launch, raising further questions about the feasibility of meeting future deadlines. As it stands, the fate of the Media Manager remains uncertain, and the future trajectory of OpenAI's legal challenges appears increasingly complex.

Source: Noah Wire Services