Web Content Creators Could Soon Get Paid by AI Companies
Imagine a world where every time an AI uses your website's content to learn, you get paid. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, that's the idea behind Really Simple Licensing (RSL). It's a new standard that aims to give publishers more control over how AI systems use their work. Think of it like a toll booth for AI crawlers!
Big names like Reddit, Yahoo, and Medium are already backing RSL, hoping that strength in numbers will convince AI companies to play ball. Basically, RSL builds on the existing "robots.txt" system, which lets websites tell crawlers which parts of the site they can access. But instead of a simple "yes" or "no," RSL lets websites set licensing and royalty terms.
So, how does it work? Well, websites can ask AI companies to pay a subscription or a fee for each crawl. They can even charge a "pay-per-inference" fee, meaning they get paid when an AI model uses their content to generate a response. Of course, bots doing normal things like archiving or indexing for search engines can continue as usual.
How it started
The whole thing is being spearheaded by the RSL Collective, led by some pretty experienced folks. Their goal is to create a new business model for the web, where licensing and compensation rights are clearly defined.
Now, you might be thinking, "This sounds complicated." And you're not wrong. Getting AI companies to actually adopt the standard is going to be a challenge. After all, they've been accused of ignoring robots.txt files in the past. Plus, figuring out things like the "inference fee" requires their cooperation.
That's where companies like Fastly come in. They can act as a "bouncer," only letting AI bots into websites if they've agreed to the licensing terms.
Of course, the legal landscape is still a bit murky. There are ongoing lawsuits about unauthorized scraping and the use of media for AI training. However, the RSL Collective hopes that by creating a clear standard, they can make it easier for everyone to navigate the licensing process.
It's a bit like how music rights organizations like ASCAP collect licensing fees for musicians. Will it work? Only time will tell. But if it does, it could be a game-changer for web publishers and creators.
Source: The Verge