Texts, images, sounds, scientific data… Generative AIs endlessly extract and plunder human capital while returning almost nothing to creators. This dispossession opens a colossal opportunity for whoever dares to propose another model, believes a collective of experts in AI.
List of co-signatories: List
Generative AIs endlessly absorb texts, images, sounds, scientific data, or patents. The value created is immense, yet it completely escapes those who produced it. The discourse of Mark Zuckerberg and other gurus of artificial superintelligence disparages human intelligence in order to exploit it at lower cost. The good intentions of the 800 personalities calling for a halt are counterproductive, because they reinforce this narrative. The opposing rulings in the Getty and Gema cases, the meager agreements between OpenAI and a few media outlets, and the single victory against Anthropic represent only a derisory percentage of the total economic value. The “ethical” generative AIs launched by Shutterstock and Adobe for images, and by Universal for music, proclaim their respect for copyright while concealing the calculation of their remuneration, or even exceeding the scope of their licenses.
The struggle of authors, actors, artists, performers, and rights holders is now spreading to lawyers, journalists, doctors, inventors, teachers, and the artisans of knowledge and know-how. The unpaid capture of works and skills threatens the entirety of human capital, including intangible heritage such as culture, and personal attributes such as the voice. This human capital, Europe’s primary wealth and its foremost competitive advantage, is now prey to digital feudalism. The European Commission, until now a leader in global regulation, remains petrified by the attacks of the tech giants against digital regulation and is retreating in the face of threats from the Trump administration. Worse, it has convinced itself that innovation is worth the sacrifice of this capital.
In the absence of counter-narratives, humanity will soon feel surpassed, which will be an even harsher shock than the awareness of climate change. The balance of power will intensify the concentration of wealth. Cultural junk food will supplant authenticity, rigor, and diversity. Our societies will slide into techno-political vassalization.
What can be done? First, remember the unexpected reversals that have occurred in similar situations. In 2019, while the tech giants were fighting the GDPR, Apple positioned itself as the white knight of privacy against Facebook. It turned regulatory constraint into an advantage for its brand image. In 2015, after more than a decade of massive piracy and the impotence of public authorities, the legal streaming model revived the music industry. By aggregating the licenses of major labels, streamlining the user experience, and despite returning 70% of its revenue to rights holders, this model made paid offerings more attractive than piracy.
Who will be the white knight of generative AI? The one—large corporation or startup—who sees an opportunity in it. The market now opening up is colossal, on the order of $1 trillion by 2030, comparable to the tourism or automotive sectors. Enough to bring forth the world’s largest Big Tech company. To achieve that, it is better to possess solid competitive advantages: a strong brand image and licenses.
For its image, the future champion will have to build a powerful narrative to counter that of superintelligence: affirming the primacy of human intelligence and the use of AI as a tool serving creativity and societies. Arguing that AI, lacking a body, does not grasp the real world but remains trapped in its digital representations. Defending the sanctity of intellectual property, the only shield protecting human capital. Identifying invisible rights, since the Internet abounds with works by creators who do not even realize they are creators. Making the remuneration of human capital not a concession, but a pillar of its economic model.
As for licenses, our collective is committed. We are ready to support this champion so that it can rely on extensive catalogs of legal creative content. We will mobilize technological actors so that it benefits from exclusivities and key patents that will sustain its competitive advantage. Beyond that, we will help ensure preferential access to strategic infrastructures such as decarbonized energy and data centers. We will encourage stricter rules so that Europe, in a position of technological asymmetry with the United States, compels major actors to respect other stakeholders.
Today, we issue a call: let the candidates for the role of white knight step forward. Whoever succeeds in laying the foundations of a global industrial ecosystem centered on the recognition and valorization of human capital will become, with the support of those who produced it, the leader of generative artificial intelligence.