OpenAI Delays Launch of Media Manager Tool

Earlier reports indicated that OpenAI was planning to develop a tool called Media Manager, which would allow creators to specify whether their works should be included in or excluded from AI training data. The tool was designed to identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video, reflecting the preferences of creators and applicable across multiple platforms. However, since its announcement in May last year, Media Manager has yet to be released.

Sources revealed that this tool was not considered a priority project within the company, with very few employees involved in its development. An individual who collaborates with OpenAI but is not an employee stated that although the tool had been discussed in the past, there have been no recent updates. Additionally, Fred von Lohmann, a member of the OpenAI legal team responsible for the Media Manager project, transitioned to a part-time advisory role in October.

Facing increasing intellectual property issues, OpenAI is currently dealing with a class-action lawsuit filed by artists, writers, YouTubers, computer scientists, and news organizations, alleging that the company used their works illegally for model training. While OpenAI has attempted to address some of these concerns through licensing agreements, not all creators are satisfied with the terms offered.

Currently, OpenAI provides several temporary measures for creators to "opt out" of AI training, such as submitting forms to mark works for removal or blocking web crawlers from accessing specific websites. However, these methods have been criticized as fragmented and insufficient, especially for written works, videos, or audio recordings, which lack a clear opt-out mechanism.

Although Media Manager was initially promoted as an improved opt-out solution, OpenAI has not publicly mentioned the project since its initial announcement. Even if Media Manager is eventually launched, experts are uncertain whether it will alleviate creators' concerns or resolve the legal questions surrounding AI and IP use.

Given the current situation, OpenAI has implemented filters to prevent models from retraining on samples and is invoking the fair use doctrine in ongoing litigation. If the courts rule in favor of OpenAI, determining that the company's AI serves a "transformative purpose," Media Manager may not play a significant role. OpenAI seems willing to take this gamble or reconsider its opt-out strategy.