Australian Publisher Faces Backlash Over AI Training Proposal

The Melbourne-based publisher Black Inc. is encountering significant backlash after requesting that its authors permit their works to be utilized for training artificial intelligence.

In a recent addendum to a contract, Black Inc. asked its authors to grant the publisher the "right to reproduce or use, adapt, and exploit the work in connection with the development of any software program, including but not limited to training, testing, validation, and deployment of a machine learning or generative artificial intelligence system."

Author Laura Jean McKay expressed her concerns upon receiving this addendum last Friday. She noted that she was provided only three business days to decide whether to agree to a third-party contract with an unspecified AI company. "Usually, a DocuSign with a publisher is an exciting moment. I was surprised to find it was an adjustment to my contract that essentially required me to hand over my book for training AI models," she said.

McKay, who published her book Holiday in Cambodia with Black Inc. in 2013, remarked that the document read as if it was generated by AI itself. She highlighted a concluding statement in the DocuSign, indicating that while the publisher hoped authors would join them in this "new frontier," they also understood if someone preferred to opt-out.

The proposal includes a profit-sharing arrangement where Black Inc. and the author would equally split the net proceeds. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the publisher reassured that all revenue generated from the potential agreement would be shared and emphasized that participation is optional.

Black Inc. stated, "The demand for high-quality, curated content for AI is increasing rapidly, and at Black Inc., we are committed to handling this opportunity fairly and simply." They explained that they were merely seeking permission to enter into negotiations with reputable AI companies regarding the use of authors' works.

Despite this assurance, McKay expressed concerns over pressures faced by authors, particularly less experienced writers, to comply with such requests due to fears about their careers. "If this was 2013 when my first book came out, I wouldn't have known what to do. I was new to the industry and intimidated by publishers," she shared.

She further stated, "When I say that we’re being asked to sign our own death warrants, I mean that projections indicate that we may no longer need novels or novelists in the future. My work is facing obsolescence, and I am being asked to sign a document that would allow my creations to train a system that could potentially replace me in multiple industries."

As the dialogue around AI and creative work continues to evolve, many are watching closely to see how these developments unfold in the publishing industry.

publishing, AI, authors