The company has updated its Terms of Service and added explicit blocks to its robots.txt file to prevent AI companies from scraping content. However, Medium acknowledges that this approach has limitations and is calling for a more robust protocol that allows individual writers to set permissions for their content. The company is also considering the possibility of negotiating compensation on behalf of its writers from AI companies.
Key takeaways:
- Medium is changing its policy on AI training, aiming to block AI companies from using stories published on the platform for training purposes without consent, compensation, and credit to the authors.
- Medium has updated its Terms of Service and added explicit blocks to its robots.txt file to enforce this policy. However, the company acknowledges that this approach has limitations and is seeking a more fine-grained approach that works at the level of individual writers and stories.
- The company is also exploring the possibility of forming a coalition with other platforms to address the issue of fair use in the age of AI, with the goal of establishing standardized protocols for AI training and value exchange.
- Medium is considering different solutions for consent, credit, and compensation, including the possibility of negotiated compensation for access to Medium articles. However, the company acknowledges that determining the value of individual pieces is challenging and that many writers may object to AI companies using their work.