Meta Triumphs in Epic AI Copyright Legal Battle—But, Wait for the Punchline!

“Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch”

“Meta Platforms, the company formerly known as Facebook, has won an important victory in a years-long legal battle over whether it can use artificial intelligence to identify and scrub infringing content uploaded by users.” Looking at a recent court ruling, one would think Meta Platforms has discovered the Holy Grail of copyright law. Meta’s win here is significant, but let’s not get carried away. It could also set a worrying precedent.

Naturally, the tech behemoth has been persistent in its efforts to automate copyright law enforcement. And why wouldn’t they? This is the same company revolutionizing how we interact online, while pragmatically trying not to piss off major entertainment studios (or get hauled into court, which, spoiler alert – already happened).

So, imagine this. You’re daring to hum Hump De Bump by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in your latest Livestream. BAM! Sorry, that tune’s already copyrighted. You’re rebuffed by a machine teaching itself to be a fancy schmancy musicologist. Enjoy your melted brain as you try to unravel the intricacies of this situation.

Efficiency? Absolutely. Slightly terrifying? Undoubtedly. The development of AI in policing content copyright infringement means that machine learning algorithms can now act as judge, jury, and implementer. This is where it gets a bit dystopian.

Remember, we’re talking about a technology that is still struggling with recognizing a cat from a raccoon. Arguably, it’s not the panacea for copyright infringement just yet, despite the court ruling in favor of Meta. It might just be opening a can of worms.

Looking at the bigger picture, the court’s ruling does raise some massive, flashing, neon questions. If the AI algorithm accidentally acts against someone following the rules? Who’s to blame? Now, that’s a head scratcher.

Arguably, the biggest benefit here is to Meta Platforms. The court ruling essentially equates to an “AI-pavement” in the world of copyright law enforcement. Saves them a pretty penny, doesn’t it?

So, the scorecard reads – Meta Platforms: 1, Every tech-literate person with concerns about AI overreach, complex algorithms, and opaque policies: 0. To be continued…

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/meta-scores-victory-ai-copyright-case/