The CEO of Patreon blasts AI companies for the ‘bogus excuse’ they’re using to not pay artists

Patreon’s CEO Jack Conte is tired of watching AI companies strike deals with huge corporations like Disney while ignoring the myriad of smaller creators who contribute to their models.

Speaking at the South by Southwest conference this week, Conte, whose company allows people to pay their favorite creators directly, argued AI companies should view creators’ work in the same way it views that of Disney, Conde Nast, or Warner Music, aiming to reach agreements with them rather than use their content without permission.

He attacked the legal doctrine of “fair use,” which allows someone to use copyrighted material without permission or payment depending on the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the original work, how much of the work was used, and whether the use harms the market. AI companies have cited fair use to justify using content to train or contribute to their models without paying. These companies often argue they are using copyrighted content in a “transformative” way and not just regurgitating it verbatim. 

For Conte, this legal “fair use” loophole is utter quackery.

“The AI companies are claiming fair use, but this argument is bogus,” Conte said during the conference. “It’s bogus because wh...