SU Law researcher contributes to international AI and copyright guide

How can artificial intelligence be developed in ways that both foster innovation and ensure the lawful and transparent use of copyright protected works? This question is central to the AI Governance Guide, a new international initiative addressing one of the most pressing legal challenges posed by generative AI.

The Guide is the result of a close collaboration between the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) and Professor Rosati. It was officially presented on 29 April in Brussels to representatives of copyright organisations, rightsholders, policymakers and other stakeholders engaged in the AI ecosystem.

Copyright as a cornerstone of responsible AI

IFRRO is an independent, non profit membership organisation with more than 160 member organisations across approximately 90 countries. Its members collectively represent millions of authors, visual artists and publishers active in fields such as book publishing, journalism, academic publishing and music.

Through its work, IFRRO promotes effective collective rights management and advocates for lawful and remunerated use of text and image based works, including in fast developing technological areas such as artificial intelligence.

The AI Governance Guide builds on Professor Rosati’s longstanding cooperation with IFRRO, including her work on the organisation’s AI Advocacy Toolkit. A key premise of the Guide is that copyright should not be treated as an ancillary issue in AI governance, but recognised as a core pillar of responsible and sustainable AI development.

A rapidly evolving policy landscape

While AI governance has rapidly climbed political agendas at national, regional and international levels, copyright considerations are often underdeveloped. Yet copyright is directly implicated throughout the entire AI lifecycle – from the sourcing and use of training data to system deployment and the circulation of AI generated outputs.

Against this backdrop, the Guide promotes a balanced approach that is both pro innovation and pro copyright, emphasising that lawful, transparent and fairly remunerated uses of protected works are essential to building long term trust in AI systems.

“AI systems depend to a large extent on content created by people – authors, journalists, researchers and artists. For AI to develop in a responsible and sustainable way, the use of such content must be lawful, transparent and respectful of copyright,” says Eleonora Rosati.

Contributing to future policy and governance

Through her work on the AI Governance Guide, Eleonora Rosati demonstrates how researchers at the Faculty of Law at Stockholm University contribute to international policy processes and translate legal scholarship into practical impact in complex areas of law.

The Guide is aimed at policymakers, developers, deployers and rightsholders, and is intended as a resource for developing workable and future oriented solutions for AI governance.

The Guide is available open access:
IFFRO - AI Governance Guide

Text: Natalie Oliwsson