#FreeAllWords: International Text and Translation Fund of the European Writers‘ Council (EWC) gives a voice to authors from Belarus and Ukraine
The EWC, together with 12 European and International authors’, performers’ and other creative workers’ organisations, urgently call for a human centric approach to generative AI, built upon informed consent, transparency, fair remuneration and contractual practices. Read the joint statement on the EU AI Act:
Generative AI is trained on large sets of data that often include works of our members without their knowledge nor consent. This deprives them of fair remuneration and harms their moral and personal rights. Existing EU and national regulations protecting original cultural works and personal data incl. performances or appearance, can only function if strict transparency requirements are placed upon developers of generative AI.
As the AI Act proposal approaches its final stage of negotiations within the trilogue, the 13 Federations of authors and performers of all genres request absolute transparency to be prioritised to ensure that informed consent and fair remuneration can be agreed upon, effectively implemented and enforced in relation to both the input and the output.
AI should not disregard fundamental rights, such as authors and performers rights, image, and personal rights, and should not be employed in ways that may deceive the general public. We urge the EU to promote original content and to respect human artistry and creativity.
