In May 2024, OpenAI announced plans to develop a Media Manager, a tool that offers creators control over how their work is used in AI training.
This technology promises to allow creators to detect and handle copyrighted text, images, audio, and video. It is an essential step towards addressing the criticism and potential challenges to intellectual property.
However, as of January 2025, Media Manager is still obscure, with no official launch date or details on its features.
This delay highlights concerns about OpenAI's commitment to respecting creators' rights.
Internally, the Media Manager was reportedly prioritized. A former OpenAI employee stated, "I don't think it was a priority. To be honest, I don't remember anyone working on it." Changes within the legal team, particularly Fred von Lohmann's shift to a part-time consultant role, show the project's stagnation.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is under great strain from lawsuits filed by artists, writers, and media organizations claiming improper use of their works for AI training. While OpenAI has suggested some solutions, like opt-out forms and web-crawling filters, these measures have been criticized as complex and insufficient. Media Manager was intended to be a thorough revamp, but its absence leaves creators with limited and fragmented options.
Even if Media Manager eventually came out, experts question its effectiveness. IP attorneys say managing content at scale, especially given the complexities of copyright laws across nations, is complex. Moreover, critics like Ed Newton-Rex claim that opting out unfairly transfers responsibility to creators, and many may be aware of such tools.
The failure of OpenAI to reach its self-imposed deadline highlights inconsistencies between technical innovation and ethical content usage.
While the company highlights the requirement of leveraging copyrighted materials in competitive AI research, authors continue to see transparency, respect, and control over their intellectual property.
So, until Media Manager or a similar viable solution becomes available, the discussion of AI and intellectual property rights will likely intensify.