I penned a blog years ago titled “The Future of Content.” In it, I discussed the technological evolution in content access—heralding an era where, thanks to technical advancements and novel business models, we would move towards a day when any desired content would be accessible anytime, anywhere, in unsurpassed quality. The premise was that great content would expand like never before in its mission to entertain, educate, inform, and inspire. I speculated that as content became more accessible and of higher quality, its impact on our evolution would be even more significant—shaping us in extraordinary, unforeseeable, and positive ways.
This prediction now seems quaint; the predicted upsurge in consumption has occurred, and the network of distributors and creators has expanded tremendously.
But, What’s Next?
With the astounding recent advancements in Generative AI within the consumer market, what will the future of content availability and distribution look like? How will individuals find and experience content, and what new business models will emerge? Will we see a paradigm that richly rewards content creators—be they musicians, writers, artists—and in turn, fosters a more creative and abundant world?
AI is the New UI
My colleague, Jason Thane (CEO of GenUI), aptly states, “AI is the new UI,” a notion I find quite useful. Generative AI holds immense potential to assist people in discovering content in a conversational, fluid, and intuitive manner. I mean this in a more traditional sense, where users can request content they want and ultimately be pointed to it from a source outside the AI platform —be it a song, a movie, a podcast, an article, or a book you’re most interested in. The beauty lies in the ability to communicate with AI in natural and creative ways, bypassing the frustration of having to frame questions “just right.” Such flexibility alone will significantly enhance the user experience, fostering delightful content discoveries.
In this model, the business strategy is straightforward: a time-honored distribution system where both creators and distributors benefit, creating a clear pathway to monetization through revenue sharing. This framework opens up colossal partnership opportunities between AI firms and the media, content, and data sectors.
Navigating Stormy Waters
The waters become choppy when Generative AI transcends assistance locating content and starts CREATING content. When content isn’t just pointed out, but integrated into the AI’s response. Content creators are understandably apprehensive about their work being used to train models without consent and fair attribution, in compliance with intellectual property laws—depriving them of deserved recognition and remuneration. The implications span a wide range of content types, including literature, news, scripts, sports information, weather data, and countless other data aggregators, all of which fuel the information AI provides. This type of data and content comes from considerable cost and effort.
The legal landscape highlighted this quandary when the New York Times sued OpenAI, alleging that the company’s AI model, ChatGPT, infringed on the newspaper’s copyright by using its articles to train the AI without permission.
It doesn’t take too big of a leap of imagination to see the potential ramifications if it is not somehow addressed. As Keren Flavell, the COO of vAIsual, wisely pointed out in a LinkedIn post, “Cake is great. Most cakes are baked with flour. If you don’t pay for your flour, you will be able to undercut your competitors until suddenly there’s a shortage of flour because the farmers no longer grow wheat anymore because no one is paying for flour.”
The outcome of this, and many other legal confrontations, will shape the future of content licensing for AI entities. Given the evolving nature of this area (and as I am not a legal expert), I will not hypothesize on the outcome but remain hopeful for collaborations and business models that fairly compensate all stakeholders.
Towards Calmer Seas with Robust Business Models
Let’s consider some potential solutions:
AI enterprises could pay licensing fees to access content for training their LLMs. Progress has been made, with partnerships already announced with entities like Shutterstock, Getty Images, Jasper, Bloomberg, and more. A major hurdle is the vast array of data sources, each with its own licensing stipulations and renewal conditions, complicating partnership management.
Usage-based models could track when content is queried by the AI, similar to the CPM approach in advertising. This would ensure fair compensation for creators based on real-time use. Advances in blockchain and smart contracts could streamline these transactions.
Content providers could restrict access to their work using watermarking, API constraints, or DRM. AI platforms desiring access would need to negotiate licensing arrangements.
A centralized “marketplace for content” might arise, empowering content owners to dictate terms of usage, reinforced by digital watermarking for images, videos, audio, and text. This would necessitate industry-wide standards and collaboration between AI developers and content creators.
Envisioning a More Creative World
I once dreamt of a future where content was accessible “whenever we want, in the highest quality imaginable.” Today, I’m eager to see how innovative distribution models within the generative AI sphere will uplift content creators, new AI distribution platforms, and consumers alike. My enduring ambition is to help forge a more creative and inspired world.
