If you use GenAi to generate your content; own it.
If you use GenAI to inspire your creation; own it.
If your conclusions are based on data analyzed by Ai; own it.
ABC News reported today that some social media giants are about to automatically label content that was created, generated, modified, ideated while whispering the term as “Ai content”. Not sure what the label will look like, but it surely makes me think about the music industry and attempt to censor content in the 1990s. This is neither a novel idea, nor the end of the world.
In 1990, 2 Live Crew released “Banned in the U.S.A.” which is credited as being the first music CD forced to carry the proverbial black and white “Parental Advisory” label for using explicit content (yes, please clutch your pearls). Fast forward three+ decades and when the label is used, it helps the audiophile to select the song version they really want to hear. The original intent of the label was repurposed.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with startups looking to use GenAi as part of their business model. I’ve also used GenAi to create MVPs that combine images, videos, text created by today’s GenAi “genies”. Sometimes the use is obvious, sometimes it is not.
If your product is meant to inspire confidence within its audience, why not avoid doubt and tell them your product/content used Ai, when it is not obvious that you have? For that matter, doing it proactively to gain their trust?
If I read another blog that starts “In the fast changing world of [insert here industry]…” my ophthalmologist is going to have a hard time detangling my rolled-over optical nerve. We know you used ChatGPT Johnny…
My head still hurts from watching deep-fake videos intended to mind-bend and misinform. Each one of them takes away from the value of legitimate Ai generated videos that use the likeness of teachers, leaders and entrepreneurs (image and voice) to present content they have created to their target audience. The promise of Ai is eroded when we misuse it and abuse its power.
Last November I used the image above for a Veteran’s Day article. If you look at the original, it had a small watermark that said “Ai Generated”. I’m a Navy veteran, and not a combat photographer (hat’s off to you guys). I felt it was appropriate to say that the picture was not of a real veteran or taken by a real photographer by flagging it as “Ai”. I hope though, that the image augmented the message sent to the audience. The “re-released” image here has a label I made up. While “in your face”, the image still works.
GenAi should be used ethically. That effort begins at home; with us who integrate these capabilities in our products and services. Labeling Ai generated content to avoid confusion is prudent and can be done with ease.
If history is a teacher, in a few years we’ll be looking at GenAi labeled content as a “collectible” item, because we’ve gone past the fear of Ai, and have learned that market trust is more important than a boost in clicks. You may just get the boost because of the label, and the quality of the content you put out.
Are you leading the path identifying your Ai generated content / products? Why not?
Here is a link to the article: