Sen. Welch Introduces Bill to Increase Transparency of AI Training Data
Summary
On November 21, 2024, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act (S. 5379), which seeks to protect copyright owners by allowing them to request information on training data from generative AI developers and deployers in order to determine if their copyrighted works were used in a model. The bill would create a new subpoena mechanism under the copyright statute and create a rebuttable presumption that works were copied for noncompliance with the subpoena. Several organizations in the creative community have voiced support for the bill, including the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and Universal Music Group. The introduction of this bill follows a recent lawsuit brought by several major record labels alleging copyright infringement by AI music generator model owners Suno and Udio.
