Says Microsoft: We’re going to help ourselves to your Web content, thank you
Apparently, when it comes to copyright law, Microsoft never got the memo.
According to Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s CEO of AI, as reported by writer Sean Endicott: “With respect to content that is already on the open Web, the social contract of that content since the 90s has been that it is fair use.
“Anyone can copy it, recreate with it, reproduce with it. That has been freeware, if you like. That’s been the understanding.”
The only currently ‘in-dispute’ exception to Microsoft’s ‘I’ll-help-myself, thanks’ perspective, according to Suleyman, are Web sites and publishers that explicitly state on their Web sites “do not scrape or crawl me for any other reason than indexing me so that other people can find that content.”
And according to Suleyman, even that warning is a ‘gray area’ that he believes will wind up in the courts.
Really?
That’s news to me.
Perhaps Suleyman should visit the U.S. Copyright Office on the Web, whose history domain documents that the first copyright law was enacted in the U.S. in 1790.
In other news and analysis on AI writing:
*In-Depth Guide: Snapshot on the Big Four in AI Writing: Writers looking for the latest on AI writing from the Big Four — OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Facebook parent Meta — can check-out this latest update.
The piece offers perspectives on the tech from a number of digitally oriented businesses based in India.
Observes Sajal Gupta, chief executive, Kiaos Marketing, a digital marketing consultancy: “The key is to integrate AI so seamlessly into your toolkit that it appears as natural as it possibly can.
“From a consumer’s perspective, if the tools are implemented well, the experience will only improve.”
*Gmail Gets Smarter: AI-Written Emails That Sound Just Like You – Only Better!: Many Gmail users already have access to new generative AI from Google, which they can use for auto-writing text, summarizing an email thread, searching through their inbox using AI — and more.
Powered by Google’s Gemini AI engine, the new feature can be found on Gmail’s side panel and can be activated with a click.
Roll-out of the new AI — which will also be popping-up in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive — should be complete by the close of July.
*Microsoft’s AI Buffet: Writesonic — With a Side of SEO — Added to the Menu: Making good on its commitment to featuring a wide array of AI from various service providers throughout its product line, Microsoft is integrating Writesonic into its Azure cloud infrastructure.
The ChatGPT competitor — which specializes in content creation and search engine optimization — gets to showcase its chops to businesses already using Azure.
*ChatGPT Competitor’s Upgrade: Now Handling Documents That Rival “War and Peace:” AI writing pioneer Writer has just launched an upgrade capable of ingesting and analyzing a document of up to 10 million words.
Observes Deanna Dong, product marketing lead, Writer: “We know that enterprises need to analyze very long files, work with long research papers, or documentation. It’s a huge use case for them.”
Also new with the upgrade is added transparency into what Writer’s AI is doing behind the scenes.
Observes writer Michael Nunez: “The system shows users the steps the AI takes — including how it breaks down queries into sub-questions and which specific data sources it references.”
*Marketing Alchemy: New AI Writer Promises to Forge Brand Data and Social Listening Insights Into Copy Gold: Given that automated AI writing is essentially a commodity now, startups specializing in AI marketing tools are increasingly coming out with offerings that simultaneously handle a number of marketing tasks.
Singapore-based Addlly AI is no exception.
The company just released a beefed-up automated writing tool that is able to reference brand data — and incorporate analytical insights gleaned from social listening — as it creates copy for marketers.
Observes Tina Chopra, CEO, Addlly AI: “By merging cutting-edge AI technology with valuable data insights, we help businesses produce content that’s not just fast and more targeted, but also highly relevant and impactful.”
*AI-Automated Emails So Personal, They Know Your Karaoke Playlist by Heart: CallSine is offering a new email marketing service that uses customer data to auto-generate highly personalized email marketing pitches.
Observes Logan Kelly, president, CallSine: “Unlike generic AI tools, we build a detailed knowledge base about your company and prospects.
“This allows us to use AI to generate truly relevant and tailored messaging beyond acknowledging a prospect’s standard profile information.”
*Fine Print, Re-imagined: New Automated-Contract Start-up Gets a Trial Run: Legal tech AI service Leya — which offers lawyers auto-writing of draft contracts and similar AI services — has scored a tryout with law firm Bird & Bird.
Observes Karen Jacks, chief technology officer, Bird & Bird: “This proof of concept trial with Leya is the latest addition to our GenAI toolkit and will be an important part of our five-year strategy as we guide organizations through a world shaped by technology, innovation and regulation.”
*Growing Pains: Another Unsupervised AI News Site Goes Rogue: When will they learn?
Tennis tournament Wimbledon became the latest organization to realize that while AI auto-written content sure is convenient — it still needs human supervision right now and then.
Wimbledon’s blunder: Its AI-powered ‘Catch-Me-Up’ news service — designed to auto-write pre-and-post-match player profiles with AI-generated stories and analysis — began spitting-out error-ridden copy the first day it was fired-up.
Observes writer Emine Sinmaz: “The new offering on Wimbledon’s app and website described the former US Open champion Emma Raducanu as the British No 1, although she is the No 3.
“The 21-year-old, who grew up in Bromley, was also described as having won 11 matches so far this year — when she has had 14 triumphs.
“It also described a clash between 35-year-old Zhang Shuai, a two-time doubles grand slam champion from China who is on a losing streak, and Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, 27, as an “eagerly anticipated encounter between two up-and-coming players.”
As many have uttered down through the ages: Trust — but verify.
*AI Big Picture: ChatGPT Maker Gets Real About AI and the Military: AI users concerned that increasing breakthroughs in AI may be falling into the wrong hands should be cheered by the appointment of Paul M. Nakasone — a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency — to the board of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
Granted, many ‘effective altruists’ are sure to decry the new presence of a military perspective on AI’s board.
But there are plenty of others who believe the U.S. needs to continually ‘what-if’ how AI may be used nefariously and how to protect against it — given that there are plenty of rogue nations already deeply engaged in twisting AI for dark purposes.
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–Joe Dysart is editor of RobotWritersAI.com and a tech journalist with 20+ years experience. His work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The New York Times and the Financial Times of London.