Once Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Metaverses were the subject of science fiction.  

Throughout 2023, we have been awed by the public releases of AI-generative technologies such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion. This created an exponential shift in mainstream AI – and taking human-machine interactions to new heights. It gave us new frontiers to access knowledge, with the ability to create works of art, motion pictures, voice cloning, stories, programming codes and more. 

Humans excel in creativity, imagination, problem-solving, collaboration, management, and leadership. Gradually, AI imbued with ‘knowledge’ gathered from data using machine-learning and self-learning capabilities, will feel less and less like machines and tools— with the abilities to interact and work alongside us, complement and supplement our work, take over functions and roles, and the abilities to make decisions on our behalf. 

AI and data analytics have revolutionised ‘Data’ as a commodity. Together, they can unlock and discover new forms of value, create new innovative products and services, improve productivity, facilitate new business models and revenue, connect previously unseen linkages, and provide insights to stimulate growth and innovation in the Digital Economy and evidence-based decision-making. 

Will AI eventually outpace human capability and creativity? This may happen, but there is no consensus on when. Whatever the case, we are seeing more examples of innovative applications, with new creative works and inventions by AI.  

Generative AI

Since my column in March 2023 for the 26th session of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) in Geneva, the debate surrounding the use of ‘Data’ by Generative AI has reached a crescendo. 

While Generative AI has embarked humanity on an era of new creativity and as a productivity tool for business, government, organization and the individual, it has also opened a pandora box of controversies— ranging from the generation of misinformation and disinformation, amplification of demographic stereotypes and biases, to the million dollar question as to whether permission and compensation are required for the use of art, photographs, music, books and other materials from third party data owners and custodians for the purposes of training AI models. 

Many actors, writers and artists have spoken out and expressed their concerns that AI is replacing their work, seeking compensation for the use of their creatives/ content as AI training data and issues surrounding the creation and use of new AI-created works. 

In 2023, several lawsuits were filed by writers and artists against Generative AI companies. Some of the complaints alleged include, that content/ data have been copied to train Generative AI models without permission or compensation, and unfair competition.  

If successful, these legal actions could hamper the progress and development of generative AI, including restricting the use of content protected by intellectual property as training data. On the other hand, a win for the generative AI companies could mark a turning point for intellectual property laws, allowing proprietary content for the training and advancement of generative AI.  

AI-Generated Digital Replicas

In Hollywood, actors went on strike for nearly 4 months in 2023, for better pay and over concerns on the potential exploitation and misuse of their “digital replicas”, likenesses and voices in motion pictures, television, and new media platforms. 

In November, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) reached a tentative agreement to end their longest labour strike. After protracted negotiations, the precedent-setting agreement creates a framework to provide safeguards concerning the creation and use of AI-generated “digital replicas” of an actor’s voice or likeness, including obtaining consent and compensation. 

The meaning of “digital replicas” in the entertainment industry has been defined by SAG-AFTRA. 

• Employment-based digital replica is defined as “created during a performer’s employment with their physical participation, and used to portray the performer in scenes they didn’t actually shoot.”
• Independently created digital replica is defined as “Digital replicas created often using existing materials, and used to portray the performer in scenes they didn’t actually shoot.” 

The above provides a brief glimpse of the profound repercussions that AI and rapidly advancing digital replication technologies can have on the careers and livelihoods of actors and performers in the entertainment industry. 

Many world leaders and experts have met (including the recent UK AI Safety Summit) to discuss the merits and the responsible development of frontier AI.  

In the European Union, negotiations on the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act that began more than two years ago have been delayed and disrupted by the issues flowing on from the recent market entry of Generative AI. When the EU Artificial Intelligence Act happens, it will provide a gold AI framework for the world, but— it is not likely that AI controversies and debates are going to end any time soon. 

We are and will be experiencing successive waves of technological change— impacting on how we Work, Live and Play — raising fundamental questions on our worth as humans— disrupting our existing business models, our human structures and beliefs on equality and fairness, and our long-established framework of governing laws. 

Businesses should pay close attention to works created largely by automated processes including AI. Under current laws, human creativity is an essential ingredient for copyright subsistence, as our historical laws were designed for humans. AI-generated works with little or no human ‘creativity’ will suffer serious hurdles in securing copyright (ownership) protection. 

With our world undergoing rapid AI recalibration, we can star gaze and imagine how our Work, Life and Play will be moulded by technological advancements in some way in the years to come. While new roles will develop, one thing is certain— jobs of the future will be different. Perhaps, the sensible approach is to keep a few paces ahead of the machines and maintain our skills for the digital age, while enhancing our human ‘nous’ that the machines currently lack.