Ethical Dilemma
Around a week remaining before the release of the new generation model developed by GeoAI. Robert is doing a review of the systems behind the model, making sure all of the training data is being used correctly. While doing the review, Robert notices that many of the images collected don’t have any form of documentation of where the artwork was retrieved from, and portions of them were taken from public websites.
When Robert continued to test prompts, he noticed that these training images actually leaked into the prompts, causing generated images to closely resemble the artwork that the AI model was directly trained off of. Generated AI models can mimic data that is in the training, as discussed by Carlini et al. (2023). This brings up ethical concerns about the training of this artwork, and Robert believes these concerns should be investigated before the release of the platform.
Robert schedules a meeting with Piper to discuss his concerns that he has. After hearing his concerns, Piper explains that the project has already exhausted so many resources of the company, and delaying the release of the product could lead to many negative consequences. Competitors could release similar products first, which would bring financial problems with GeoAI, allowing everyone’s jobs to be at risk. Piper says that she acknowledges the concerns Robert has, but that the platform needs to continue being prepared for release, and management can decide if there are any future issues.
Robert decides to go to Iggy, the senior AI engineer who created the training process used by the generative AI model. While Robert brings up concerns about copyright, Iggy argues that using publicly accessible images is common in AI development, and reviewing every artwork and compensating its creators would cause the company significant financial costs. Iggy believes that using artwork from artists, even without their permission, is different from directly copying their artwork. Iggy warns that removing artwork from the dataset, especially in large portions, could require additional training, which could lead to a delay on the project.
While still having concerns about the legal and ethics side of the argument, Robert decides to speak with Emily, who is GeoAI’s legal and ethics advisor. Emily mentions that artists often mention having concerns about the use of their artwork, mainly in regards to consent, ownership, and compensation, especially in the training of generative AI. This is reflected in the research done by Lovato et al. (2024), which surveyed artists on their opinions of AI-generated art. Emily mentions that there are current ongoing legal disputes regarding AI companies and the usage of copyright artwork, which could be a concern for GeoAI.
Emily explains that she does not have the power to delay the product’s release, as she would need approval from management. She recommends reviewing the dataset and investigating whether the model is often reproducing existing artwork. If so, Emily recommends exploring licensing agreements or compensation. This causes a difficult decision for Robert, as releasing the model without investigation or compensation could create legal risks for the company. However, challenging Piper and Iggy could damage his professional relationship or his position at GeoAI. Also, he worries that delaying the release could bring financial consequences for the company and his coworkers. Robert must now decide whether to continue preparing the platform for release, or take further action to address the concerns of the training data.