Dr Ruth Alison Clemens, a lecturer whose work has been published by Taylor & Francis, voiced concerns about the lack of communication and the absence of an opt-out policy. Taylor & Francis confirmed it is providing Microsoft with non-exclusive access to advanced learning content and data to improve the performance of AI systems. The Society of Authors urged authors whose work has been used without their consent to contact them for guidance and encouraged authors to complete a survey on collective licensing options for authors.
Key takeaways:
- Taylor & Francis, an academic publisher, has sold access to its authors’ research to Microsoft as part of an AI partnership worth almost £8m ($10m) in its first year, without consulting the authors.
- Authors claim they were not informed about the deal, were not given the opportunity to opt out, and are not receiving extra payment for the use of their research by Microsoft.
- The Society of Authors has expressed concern over publishers signing deals with tech companies without consulting authors and creators first, highlighting issues of copyright, moral rights, data protection, transparency, and fairness of payment.
- There is uncertainty over whether it is possible for Taylor & Francis’ authors to opt out of the AI partnership with Microsoft, and the publisher's spokesman declined to comment further on the issue.