Hollywood Gets a Major Boost From a Republican Senator in the Fight Over AI Copyright

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On Wednesday, media and entertainment figures found a strong advocate as Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri grilled a YouTube executive about the way Google trains its AI models in a heated Congressional hearing. This suggests that these personalities are concerned their work may be illegally used in AI copyright systems.

Hawley expressed his concern in a Judiciary subcommittee hearing, stating that it appeared as a significant issue to him following Suzana Carlos’ explanation about using uploaded videos for training AI products like Gemini and other Google AI offerings, which is a condition for uploading. Hawley emphasized that this issue seemed extremely concerning to him, and he added that YouTube’s monetization of such videos also raised serious doubts.”

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“During a Judiciary subcommittee hearing, Hawley found the situation troubling after learning about how uploaded videos are utilized for AI product training, including Gemini and other Google AI systems, which is a requirement for uploading. He underscored his concern by mentioning that this matter seemed like a major issue to him, and he also expressed worry over YouTube’s practice of monetizing these types of videos.

Hawley emphasized the necessity for Congress and technology firms to devise methods to “empower individuals with strong, enforceable rights over their images, possessions, and personal lives once more.

At a hearing for the No Fakes Act, a Republican representative was discussing the legislation. Earlier in the discussion, Carlos, country singer Martina McBride, and RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier had all provided testimony in support of the bill. This proposal aims to regulate the creation of AI-generated versions of an artist’s face or voice by setting limitations for users. Previous versions of this bill failed to garner enough support to pass, but supporters are optimistic that YouTube joining forces with them could tip the scales.

However, it was Hawley’s comments on an issue somewhat tangential to the topic that stood out at the hearing. The copyright issue involving AI has been a significant battleground between media and tech corporations, with The New York Times currently engaged in a lawsuit against OpenAI over the manner in which models are trained using their articles. This is a high-profile case for those involved in creating or holding intellectual property. Tech companies require content produced by these firms to construct their models, as these models utilize numerous news stories, images, videos, songs, and other content to produce their output.

Trump’s recent dismissal of the leader of the U.S. Copyright Office, following her doubts about the legality of actions taken by entities like OpenAI, has intensified worries that copyrighted works are being utilized illegally, without the approval of their creators or owning companies.

Previously, Hawley has been vocal about his opposition towards large tech companies, particularly Meta, by criticizing various actions he perceives as errors. In terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI), he’s advocated for the Department of Labor to safeguard workers in response to potential AI-induced changes, and he’s also criticized OpenAI for its emphasis on rapid advancement.

However, Wednesday saw some of his most forceful public statements to date regarding copyright matters, positioning him as an unusual ally alongside SAG-AFTRA, Justine Bateman, Hollywood artist Reid Southen, The New York Times, and other creative professionals who have raised concerns about a business model exploiting others’ work without fair compensation.

Hawley stated on Wednesday that more action is necessary because it’s likely that YouTube is earning billions. The ones who suffer are the artists, creators, and teenagers whose lives get disrupted, a point he made in reference to deepfakes that lead to bullying and unauthorized sharing of personal images. Hawley also emphasized that YouTube should be stricter in dealing with these issues.

Generally, tech firms argue that the data they utilize for training their models falls under the umbrella of “fair use” as defined by law. On numerous occasions during Hawley’s interrogation, Carlos emphasized that Google educates its models using videos submitted to YouTube. He added, “We do disclose data in compliance with our contracts.

Hawley stated his conviction that significant technology firms have not adequately clarified their methods for safeguarding creators’ copyrights, and he emphasized the necessity for more of these companies to be held accountable for their training practices.

Hawley also voiced his criticism towards other companies, saying to Carlos, “It’s great to see you here today,” followed by, “I only wish there were more tech firms present here today.

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2025-05-22 01:54