Legal implications of using generative AI in the media

Abstract

ABSTRACT Generative AI is increasingly being used, among others also in the professional media industry. This article provides an overview of the main ethical and legal challenges regarding content generated by, or with the help of generative AI. Among the ethical challenges, special attention is devoted to the development of journalistic standards. The legal discussion highlights the questions of civil and criminal responsibility regarding content, with a primary focus on the attribution of liability. It scrutinises the roles of deployers, assessing their contributions to the final product. It suggests that all human participants’ contributions should be accordingly acknowledged, potentially necessitating the creation of novel categories such as hybrid authorship and shared responsibility.