Parliament seeks to safeguard journalistic material from misuse by artificial intelligence
In a significant move towards regulating the use of media content in the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the Swiss Grand Chamber has approved an initiative by FDP Councilor Petra Gössi. The vote was 121 to 66 with 8 abstentions.
The original motion text, however, faced criticism from various quarters. Katja Christ (GLP/BS), on behalf of the committee, criticized the text as unfeasible. The concern was that the original motion would blur the boundary between copyright-protected form and freely usable content.
To address these concerns, the National Council's Committee on Science, Education and Culture proposed changes to the motion text. The committee, headed by Dr. Andrea Lübcke, suggested an opt-out system, allowing rights holders to demand that their content not be used. This change was accepted by the Federal Council.
The Federal Council agreed to the mandate, but the National Council's Science, Education, and Culture Committee (WBK-N) removed a passage stating that content could only be used for AI training with copyright holder consent. This amendment was necessary, as no other country goes as far in AI regulation as the original motion text suggested.
The committee's proposals were not without changes from the original motion text. For instance, the committee favored the possibility of an opt-out, a departure from the original text's strict regulations.
The committee's aim is to ensure that Switzerland's economic and innovation hub remains competitive in AI research, development, and commercialization. However, it is important to note that the use of AI services, such as Perplexity, which access relevant content, reformulate captions, and provide information to users, can potentially displace and replace Swiss media, which is detrimental to a country that relies on free media.
Despite the A SVP minority of the WBK-N applying for the rejection of the motion, they could not prevail. The committee's amended motion text has been accepted by the Federal Council, and the Council has followed the committee's proposals regarding the changes to the motion text.
Justice Minister Beat Jans explained that the Federal Council can live with the changes to the motion text. The new regulations will provide a balance between protecting copyright and promoting AI development in Switzerland.
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