Data, one of the three critical components for the development of artificial intelligence technology, has always been a focal point in this global "clash of tech titans".
On July 1, Google updated its privacy policy, explicitly stating that the company retains the right to acquire user-generated content online to train its artificial intelligence tools.
The update to Google's privacy policy is as follows: Google will use the information to enhance our services and develop new products, features, and technologies for the benefit of our users and the public. "For example, we may collect information that's publicly avalaible online or from other public resources to help train Google's AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Bard, and Cloud AI capabilities."
Comparatively, in the previous version of Google's privacy policy, the tech giant only mentioned that such data would be used for "language models," not "artificial intelligence models."
Media analysts point out that this privacy policy clause differs greatly from previous ones. Typically, these policies explain how corporations use user data posted on their own servers. However, in this case, Google appears to reserve the right to collect and use all data posted on public platforms, treating the entire internet as its own AI playground.
While anyone can see publicly posted online content, the way this information is used is evolving. Public concern about data has shifted from who can access the data to how the data is used.
Google's Bard and ChatGPT may already have used blog posts you've forgotten or restaurant reviews you posted years ago for training. Google has not immediately responded to the public's concerns about privacy.
Google Extends an Olive Branch to "Water Sellers" In addition to Google's users, data providers have become a group Google needs to "court" in its quest to hoard "data."
Data providers are seen as "water sellers" in the era of AI.
Elon Musk, not wanting AI to freeride on his data, restricted access, leading to a major Twitter outage. Reddit, another American forum that does not want its data to be freeridden, has introduced a paid API. This move directly resulted in several very popular third-party Reddit apps going offline, demonstrating the "water sellers'" protection of their own "water" in the AI era.
Google has already shown its sincerity to these "water sellers." Naturally, the data from large news publishers is a prime target.
In recent months, the never-ending discussions about copyright issues related to AI have exacerbated the already strained relationship between large tech companies and the publishing world. Google was the first to state its willingness to pay for news content.
Citing a high-ranking official from a newspaper group, the media reported that Google has set up an agreement to pay for news content in the future.
According to this executive, Google has established a licensing agreement and is open to the principle of paying for content, but the amount has not yet been discussed. Google said that negotiations concerning the amount will take place in the coming months, marking the first step.
In response to this report, Google clarified that the reporting about the licensing agreement was "inaccurate" and added, "We are still in the early stages and we are continuing to work with the ecosystem, including news publishers, to get their feedback."
Google revealed it was in "ongoing discussions" with news organizations in the U.S., UK, and Europe, while its AI tool Bard is also being trained with "publicly available information," which could include paid websites.
