In May, OpenAI unveiled a new machine learning tool designed to empower creators by allowing them to choose whether their content would be used for training the company’s artificial intelligence models. Named Media Manager, this tool was intended to detect copyrighted materials such as text, images, audio, and video from various sources while aligning with the preferences of content creators. However, the launch of Media Manager has yet to occur, and recent reports indicate that its development is not currently a focus for OpenAI.
A report from TechCrunch highlights that internally, OpenAI appears to consider the tool as lacking importance. Sources familiar with the situation informed the outlet that Media Manager was likely not a priority and that active work on it had ceased. Furthermore, an unnamed source noted that, although discussions surrounding the tool took place previously, no updates have emerged recently.
Compounding these concerns, TechCrunch has learned that Fred von Lohmann, a member of OpenAI’s legal team who was involved in the project, transitioned to a part-time consultant role in October 2024. This shift suggests that Media Manager may not be included in the company’s immediate plans, particularly given that it has been seven months since the tool was first announced.
The purpose of the AI tool was to give creators a more straightforward option for excluding their copyrighted content from OpenAI’s large language models (LLMs). Currently, the company offers a form-based procedure that allows creators to request the removal of copyrighted materials from training data. However, this process can be cumbersome, requiring users to list and describe each item of content individually to prompt any action from OpenAI.
In contrast, Media Manager was designed to leverage AI and machine learning techniques to automatically identify content across various websites and sources, verifying against a list of creators who have opted out of training.
Experts in the field have voiced concerns regarding the practicality of the tool, noting that even major platforms like YouTube and TikTok face significant challenges with content identification on a large scale. Critics have also pointed out that OpenAI’s Media Manager places the onus of opting out on creators, many of whom may remain unaware of the tool’s existence.
