AI/LLMs Plagiarism vs. Inspiration

[Bill Zebub]

At this point in time, there’s no profits to maintain: most AI is not profitable, and are running billions in the red.

That's only true because balance sheets combine existing products with future investments. The models currently on the market are running in the black when treated as their own P&L. But each generation of the models is requiring a 10x investment over the previous one, which means the companies are losing money overall.

On the other hand, I got that information listening to Dwarkesh Patel's interview with Dario Amodei, and I'm guessing a lot of people here won't believe anything Amodei says, so....

Carry on, I guess?

 

[Epic Meepo]

My question more over is if we object to AI taking the ideas of others, Why do we not question doing so, so directly in this genre? If morals are our basis, then why abandon them here?

Ideas aren't copyrightable. If all gen AI did was take ideas people have expressed in public and repeat them as responses to prompts, I doubt anyone would care. Before generative AI, Google searches could essentially do the same thing. Type a query asking for ideas about something and get a list of links to other peoples' ideas on that topic.

AI becomes problematic when it starts creating derivative works based on particular, copyrighted works, not just ideas.

 

[FrogReaver]

Ideas aren't copyrightable.

Maybe they should be

 

[Bill Zebub]

Maybe they should be

Sorry I already copyrighted the idea of ideas being copyrightable.

 

[Umbran]

Maybe they should be

"Ideas should be protected by copyright" is itself an idea.

Do you want it that nobody can express that idea without paying someone for the right to do so?

 

[Morrus]

The reason you can’t copyright an idea is because of how common ideas are, and how uncommon the work to make them into reality is. Lots of people have the same ideas. A tiny fraction of them turn them into something.

If you could copyright ideas alone, billions of historical ideas would be trapped in limbo, owned by somebody without the wherewithal, inclination, or talent to do anything about it, and unusable by anyone else who has the same idea later. Our advancement would have stopped dead centuries ago when the guy who first had the “idea” of the wheel couldn’t be bothered to make one.

 

[Bill Zebub]

In private equity/venture capital anybody who asks for an NDA just to tell you their idea is immediately flagged as an amateur.

 

[Morrus]

In private equity/venture capital anybody who asks for an NDA just to tell you their idea is immediately flagged as an amateur.

In any industry that is the case. Of course nobody can possibly sign that. What if the “idea” is one they already had? Or would have tomorrow, completely independently? Or is one that somebody they hire has a year or a decade from now?

 

[1QD]

Moral, ethical, and legal are three different things. Sometimes laws happen to match the ethics and morals of private individuals, other times not.

But also, if you want to get into publishing, it would serve you well to understand copyright as it applies to your work.

I think it fair to say that my grasp on copyright is quite clear. I have researched, filed and successfully acquired copyright in 2 countries. I have differentiated that I understand mechanics/ideas are not copyright material. As you say there is a difference between Moral ethical and legal. Of the three I have also noted in past responses that I also know the difference.

My overall point was to question how moral appears in one practice, but not the other. I also cited a specific instance I witness of someone took directly from someone elses system to apply directly to their own. There was no call out, only applause which, as you can imagine from my standpoint, seemed counter to my own approach thus far.

I also can appreciate your point on, I may not have the game changing mechanics that will revolutionize the RPG scene to come. But, if I did, is not my hesitation , some what understandable? I have a lot wrapped up in this, more than a great many people. Decades and then some. I must play my hand carefully. It isn't something I want to away freely....not yet. There are steps I must take first before that could happen.

That said, through my experiences on Reddit, Here and else where I have come to understand the culture is very shareable material based. As I said I am not used to that at all, but I get the message. I am developing a method to .... begin to share. Something that people can get a taste of , without me sacrificing years of work. Depending on the reaction, I may release more, or change direction.

Again I pretty much get one shot at this. I am currently working on 4th and 5th expansion. When I launch there will be much to partake of.

 

[Bill Zebub]

In any industry that is the case. Of course nobody can possibly sign that. What if the “idea” is one they already had? Or would have tomorrow, completely independently? Or is one that somebody they hire has a year or a decade from now?

One would think so, but I didn't want to speak for other industries I don't know well.

Also, I've met so many people, from so many other fields, who seemed blissfully unaware. So I don't know.