Reconceptualizing Authorship and Accountability in the Age of AI: A Legal-based Theoretical Framework for AI-Generated and Mediated Communication
Bryce Petofi Towne · 2024
The emergence of advanced artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs) and multimodal generative AI, has transformed human communication by enabling the autonomous creation of original content of the information/message(s). This shift challenges traditional notions of authorship, originality, intellectual property (IP) rights, and legal accountability, which have been predominantly human-centric. This paper presents a legally grounded framework categorizing AI’s roles in communication into three types: AI-Generated Communication (AIGC), Human Artificial Intelligence Communication (HAIC), and Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Communication (AI-MC). Drawing on legal principles from the U.S. Copyright Act, the Berne Convention, and international laws, the framework assigns responsibilities and accountability to human stakeholders such as users, developers, and operators, addressing legal uncertainties surrounding AI-generated content of the information/message(s).Through a literature review, the study identifies deficiencies in existing models, highlighting the need for integrating legal and ethical considerations into AI communication roles. The proposed framework emphasizes transparency and human oversight, ensuring ethical AI deployment across various domains including education, healthcare, law, politics, finance, and social media. By adopting a spectrum-based approach to autonomy and originality, the framework aims to provide a nuanced understanding of AI’s contributions, potentially offering a robust tool for policymakers and practitioners to ensure AI-driven communication is legally compliant and ethically responsible.