Episode 132: Simon Portman, Legal aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) discussion with Andrew Gaule

Gaule's Question Time

Andrew Gaule (linkedin.com/in/andrew-gaule-aimava) discusses with Simon Portman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-portman-0b918014/), commercial lawyer at Marks and Clerk, explores key legal issues surrounding artificial intelligence. As AI capabilities rapidly advance, companies developing and utilizing these technologies face complex challenges around copyright, ownership, liability, and emerging regulation. See the overview below.
To book a meeting to discuss AI and other business change with Andrew - https://calendly.com/andrew-gaule/30min?
The discussion examines recent high-profile copyright lawsuits against AI firms related to training machine learning models. While outcomes remain unresolved, Portman expects some form of licensing models to emerge. On output generated by AI systems, current legal consensus necessitates human creativity for IP protections. However, proving human authorship could grow increasingly difficult.
Shifting to AI regulation, while frameworks vary across regions, most balance protecting the public with encouraging innovation. However, Portman notes enforcement lags capability evolution. Meanwhile from a business standpoint, Gaule emphasizes focusing less on AI risks, and more on the promise of transformations to value chains across many industries. Though acknowledging some job losses, historical precedents suggest new opportunities will emerge.
For a book on corporate innovation and venturing see "Purpose to Performance - Innovative New Value Chains" by Andrew Gaule. ( shorturl.at/dfDTW )
You can listen to this interview as a podcast on Gaule's Question Time on Apple, Spotify, Google and many other podcast channels. https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/gaulesqt
Subscribe for future interviews.
See this and other video content at Aimava Purpose to Performance Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV9o-htFNIk9Yt7jp2XcdWw
Key topics and main points under each:
AI Copyright Lawsuits
- Major media and artists suing AI firms for infringement related to training ML models
- Outcomes remain legally untested - cases proceeding in courts
- Expect licensing models to compensate copyright owners to emerge
AI-Generated IP Protections
- Require human creativity under current laws
- Humans increasingly claiming false authorship of AI output
- Commercial viability remains even without formal protections
EU AI Act
- Most aggressive regulations globally so far
- Industry pushback - could stifle innovation and discourage companies
- Adds substantial compliance burden especially on smaller firms
UK AI Regulation Approach
- Aims to balance risks with enabling innovation
- Avoid prescriptive rules, but acting sometime necessary
- Sensible to allocate oversight across sectors
US AI Executive Order
- Seeks to balance privacy/security and competition
- Benchmark that other countries will follow
- Signals aim to lead in AI commercially
Global AI Governance
- One harmonized set of AI rules unlikely
- Fragmentation across regions inevitable as with data privacy
- All trying to balance similar priorities differently
Regulation Lagging Capability Evolution
- Exponential progress makes laws drafted today obsolete soon
- Enforcement also difficult once deployed at scale
- Hard to put "genie back in the bottle"
Risks Overstated
- More pragmatic take versus AI catastrophes
- Changes likely mundane - similar past technology revolutions
- Focus on transformations to business processes/value chains
Job Losses Overstated
- Difference is white collar roles impacted
- Expect adaptation versus mass unemployment
Legal Industry Adoption
- Historically slow to adopt
- Focus on higher judgement tasks vs mundane
To book a meeting to discuss AI and other business change with Andrew - https://calendly.com/andrew-gaule/30min?