Urtasun defends copyright in the face of the advance of Artificial Intelligence at the World Intellectual Property Organization

The Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, during his speech at the World Intellectual Property Organization event

The Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, participated in Geneva in the launch of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange (AIII).

This Platform aims to serve as a forum for the exchange of best practices and a space for debate on the requests made by the cultural and artistic sector regarding the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and copyright, thus facilitating decision-making in these areas at both the national and European levels.

Spain's participation in this United Nations forum, represented by the Minister for Culture, was aimed at learning about WIPO's proposals for protecting copyright in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and making proposals for the cultural sector at the European and Spanish levels. Spain was the guest country at this event, and the Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, was the designated representative.

As he had previously stated, during his address to WIPO, Minister for Culture Ernest Urtasun defended copyright in the face of the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence. Urtasun emphasised that "in Spain we are well aware of this, and our commitment is unwavering; the Ministry of Culture has vigorously defended the need for a regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence that respects the rights of creators in recent years." He added that "this is why it is essential for our Ministry to defend the principles of authorisation, remuneration, recognition, and transparency in any type of use of works and performances protected by intellectual property rights, and therefore also within the framework of AI. All these aspects are, today, a challenge, although, probably the greatest of all, as it is a precondition for the rest, would be transparency."

The Minister for Culture indicated that "without transparency, no AI model can be aligned with ethical and democratic values, and it is impossible for it to promote equity and inclusivity in the creative and cultural industries." He added that "this is why we advocate for and have defended in multiple forums the need for developers to disclose the use of copyrighted material in training, as required by current European Union regulations."

Urtasun also emphasised the importance of defending diversity, noting that "the challenge is to ensure that the technological revolution does not weaken the sustainability of the cultural sector or reduce the diversity of cultural expressions that constitute the living heritage of our societies." He reiterated the Spanish Ministry of Culture's commitment to ensuring that innovation and access to culture go hand in hand with the responsible and transparent use of technologies, guaranteeing the protection of copyright and the distribution of AI benefits to all sectors involved in its value chain.

Finally, the Minister for Culture highlighted the importance of forums such as the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange, which promote international dialogue to address the needs of the cultural and artistic sector and foster best practices. In this regard, Urtasun stated that "governments, international organisations, technology companies, creators, and citizens share a common responsibility: to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem that strengthens, rather than weakens, the cultural values we wish to preserve."

Following the presentation, the Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, met with the Director General of WIPO, Darel Tang, to discuss Spain's position on defending copyright and how to protect it in the face of the challenges posed by the technological advancement of AI.

Spain, through its Ministry of Culture, has also advocated this same position within the European Union. Minister Urtasun emphasised the importance of protecting the copyright of creators in all forums on AI held within the framework of the European Commission.

Non official translation