AI companies may need to disclose copyrighted training data

The AI Foundation Model Transparency Act, filed by two lawmakers in the US, aims to make it clear if artificial intelligence (AI) models used copyright data for training.

The Bill, filed by Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA), would direct the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish rules for reporting training data transparency.

The aim is to direct the Federal Trade Commission to “establish standards for making publicly available information about the training data and algorithms used in artificial intelligence foundation models, and for other purposes,” read the Bill, which needs to be assigned to a committee.

Companies that make foundation models will be required to report sources of training data and how the data is retained during the inference process and describe the limitations or risks of the AI model.

AI developers must report efforts to “red team” the model to prevent it from providing “inaccurate or harmful information” around medical or health-related questions, biological synthesis, cybersecurity, elections, policing, financial loan decisions, education, employment decisions, public services, and vulnerable populations such as children.

“With the increase in public access to artificial intelligence, there has been an increase in lawsuits and public concerns about copyright infringement,” the Bill read.

“Public use of foundation models has led to countless instances of the public being presented with inaccurate, imprecise, or biased information,” it added.