An innovative startup has entered this landscape, positioning itself as a 'marketplace' that connects AI companies with rights holders who wish to license their data for training language models. This startup is Human Native AI, based in London, which has hired Madhav Chinnappa, the driving force behind Google News Showcase and former Director of News Ecosystem Development at Google.
What Does It Propose?
Human Native AI's mission is to provide AI companies with the necessary data to train their models, ensuring that rights holders are adequately compensated. The platform's operation is simple yet effective: rights holders can upload their content for free. Once on the platform, they can connect with AI companies interested in acquiring licenses for their data. Human Native AI prepares and evaluates the content, in addition to monitoring potential copyright infringements. The company charges a commission for each deal closed and for monitoring services.
James Smith, CEO and co-founder of Human Native AI, inspired by his experience with Google’s DeepMind project, identified the need for a platform that mediates between content creators and AI companies. Thus, Human Native AI was born, with the vision of avoiding an "AI Napster era", where data is used without proper authorization and compensation.
The hiring of Madhav Chinnappa is seen as strategic. Chinnappa brings extensive experience in creating news ecosystems at Google, and his vision will be crucial for positioning Human Native AI as a key player in the content licensing market for AI. His experience with Google News Showcase, a platform that attempted to establish a more sustainable model for the media, aligns perfectly with Human Native AI’s mission to compensate authors for the use of their data in AI.
A New Revenue Model
For media and content creators, Human Native AI represents a new source of income. The platform allows rights holders to negotiate revenue-sharing or subscription agreements, ensuring a steady stream of income from the use of their content. Additionally, infringement monitoring ensures that copyright is respected and protected.
The platform also aims to level the playing field, allowing small content creators to access licensing agreements that were previously only available to major media outlets like The Atlantic or Vox. With evolving AI legislation in the European Union and potential regulations in the United States, the need for ethical and authorized data sources is becoming increasingly urgent, and this is where proposals like Human Native AI’s can experience significant growth.
