At the 2025 World Economic Forum, Jason Peterson, Chairman and CEO of GoDigital Media Group, outlined practical strategies to protect creators’ rights in the generative AI era. Drawing from the music industry’s evolution in digital licensing, his blueprint emphasizes while integrating new technologies to ensure fair compensation and control for artists.
### Key Solutions to Protect Creatives
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Peterson stressed the need for AI companies to secure licenses for copyrighted materials used in training datasets, mirroring music licensing models. This addresses cases like Universal Music Group v. Anthropic , where AI-generated lyrics replicated copyrighted works without permission.
– : Tools like AdShare (part of GoDigital) track unauthorized AI use of protected content, enabling enforcement and monetization .
– : Transparent ledger systems could authenticate human-AI collaborations, ensuring copyright attribution aligns with U.S. Copyright Office guidelines .
– : Echoing U.S. Copyright Office rulings , Peterson advocates for case-by-case evaluations to determine if AI-assisted works qualify for protection. For example, edits to AI-generated outputs (like Zarya of the Dawn’s text ) retain copyright, while raw AI outputs do not.
– : Similar to music royalty collectives, centralized platforms could streamline permissions for AI training data, reducing litigation risks .
– : GoDigital’s work with Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation exemplifies how negotiated deals can integrate legacy content into AI tools while respecting creator rights.
### Learning from Past Disruptions
Peterson highlighted parallels between AI’s challenges and the music industry’s post-Napster transformation. Just as streaming platforms like Spotify adopted licensed models, AI developers must adopt to avoid destabilizing creative economies.
### Moving Forward
His blueprint calls for:
– : Pushing for laws that hold AI platforms accountable for unlicensed content use .
– : Teaching creators how to document AI collaboration processes to meet copyrightability thresholds .
By merging tech innovation with proven licensing strategies, Peterson’s approach aims to balance AI’s potential with protections for human creativity.
