Meta has invoked an unexpected defense in its ongoing AI copyright battle: Bob Dylan. The company cited the legendary musician's quote, "He who is not busy being born is busy dying," to argue that AI-generated content is transformative and therefore exempt from copyright infringement claims.
However, the move has been met with widespread mockery, with many critics accusing Meta of using a flimsy and irrelevant argument to justify its AI practices. The quote, which is from Dylan's 1965 song "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," is seen as a weak attempt to legitimize Meta's use of copyrighted material in its AI training data.
The case centers on Meta's use of AI to generate content, including text and images, that may be based on copyrighted works. The company argues that its AI-generated content is transformative and therefore does not infringe on copyrights. However, critics argue that Meta's use of copyrighted material without permission is a clear infringement of intellectual property rights.
The use of Bob Dylan's quote has been seen as a desperate attempt by Meta to appear culturally relevant and to deflect criticism of its AI practices. However, the move has backfired, with many critics accusing the company of using a shallow and irrelevant argument to justify its actions.
