In May, OpenAI unveiled a new machine learning tool designed to give content creators the option to decide whether their material would be utilized for training the company’s artificial intelligence models. Named Media Manager, the tool aimed to identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video content across various platforms in alignment with creators’ preferences. However, there has been no rollout of the tool, and recent reports suggest that its development is not among OpenAI’s immediate priorities.
A report by TechCrunch indicates that OpenAI does not regard the Media Manager tool as a significant project at this time. Sources familiar with the situation revealed that it is not currently a focus for the company, with reports suggesting that no one is actively working on it. One insider noted that, despite previous discussions about the tool, there have been no updates regarding its progress recently.
Furthermore, TechCrunch learned that Fred von Lohmann, a member of OpenAI’s legal team who was previously involved in the development of the AI tool, has shifted to a part-time consultant role as of October 2024. These shifts in personnel hint that the tool may not be prioritized in OpenAI’s short-term plans, especially considering it has been seven months since Media Manager was first announced.
The creation of Media Manager was intended to provide a straightforward avenue for creators to exclude their copyrighted works from being used in the training of OpenAI’s large language models. Currently, the company offers a form-based system that allows creators to request the removal of copyrighted material, though this process requires detailed descriptions of each item, making it cumbersome for users.
In contrast, Media Manager would employ AI and machine learning techniques to automatically detect content across various websites and verify this against a list of creators opting out of AI training.
Concerns have been raised by several domain experts regarding the tool’s efficacy, noting that even major platforms like YouTube and TikTok encounter challenges with content identification at scale. Critics have also pointed out that Media Manager places the onus of opting out on creators, who may be unaware of the existence of such an AI tool.
