Artificial intelligence-powered search engines provided by U.S. tech giants like Google LLC and Microsoft Corp. likely infringe on copyright, an association run by Japanese mass media said Wednesday.
The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association, in a statement, called for companies operating such services to obtain consent from news organizations as search responses often resemble articles that are sourced without permission.
The association analyzed that AI search engines sometimes return inaccurate responses as they inappropriately reuse or modify articles and stressed that the companies should ensure the accuracy and reliability of their services before launch.
The association also urged the Japanese government to review and revise laws related to intellectual property, such as the copyright act, as a matter of urgency.
AI search engines, which combine traditional search engine capabilities with generative AI, retrieve information from multiple sites to display a summarized response to a user's query. Google rolled out the service last year.
The association argued in the statement that while traditional search engines direct users to various copyrighted material available online, AI search engines disclose the content, making them a completely different type of service.
While stressing that in many instances, the essential content of the referenced article is reprinted in its entirety and therefore constitutes copyright infringement, the association also highlighted the issue of "zero-click searches," where users do not visit the source site.
It warned that the lack of traffic could lead to the diminution of news organizations' reporting activities, which would then have a negative impact on democracy and culture.
The statement also expressed concern over potential inaccuracies in responses generated by AI search engines, which could give the impression that the source articles themselves were erroneous and damage the credibility of news organizations.
The association added that providing AI search engine services without obtaining permission to use the source articles could violate the antimonopoly law.
In a report last fall, the Japan Fair Trade Commission suggested that companies operating search engines, which serve as gateways to news sites, might hold a dominant position over media companies, warning that if usage fees for articles were very low, it would pose a problem under the law.
A spokesperson for Google said its AI search services comply with laws including Japan's copyright act.
"Google's services enable access to high-quality news and we have established long-term cooperative relationships with Japanese news organizations," the spokesperson said.
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