Creative organizations have opposed the national artificial intelligence strategy committee’s AI Action Plan, which aims to grant wide-ranging copyright exemptions for AI model training.
Sixteen groups, including the Korean Broadcasting Association, representing creators and authors in the cultural content sector, released a statement today (13th), calling for the immediate withdrawal and comprehensive review of the government’s AI Action Plan.
The organizations criticized the plan, stating, “The government’s AI Action Plan attempts to fundamentally undermine copyright as private property and represents a declaration of abandoning the sustainability of South Korea’s cultural industry.”
They also pointed out that the government is excessively expanding the scope of fair use of copyright for the commercial purposes of private AI model and service developers. They argued that this approach is contrary to the international trend of clarifying the need for copyright holders’ permission for AI training and enhancing the transparency of training data.
Furthermore, they warned of strong opposition, noting that introducing legal immunity regulations within a few months, amid ongoing criticisms that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s ‘Fair Use Guidelines’ are insufficient to protect creators, represents a biased policy favoring AI companies’ interests.
Previously, the National AI Strategy Committee announced the AI Action Plan on December 15th, recommending revisions to related laws and systems, such as the Copyright Act and AI Basic Act, to enable AI models to use works without uncertainty.
The plan notably includes Task 32, which advises the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to prepare an amendment to the Copyright Act by the second quarter of this year to eliminate legal uncertainties regarding copyright use in AI training and the Ministry of Science and ICT to prepare an amendment to the AI Basic Act or establish a Special AI Act.