Proposal: AI Assisted mark

[ahag93]

Problem

There is currently no widely recognized, standardized method for creators to clearly indicate that their work has been created with significant assistance from Large Language Models (LLMs) or other generative AI. This lack of transparency can be problematic for several reasons:

• For consumers/users: It's difficult to know the origin and nature of the content they are engaging with, which can be important for context, trust, and understanding potential biases or limitations.
• For creators: There's no simple, established way to be transparent about their use of AI tools, which many creators wish to do.
• For the commons: As AI-assisted content becomes more prevalent, clear attribution and understanding of provenance are crucial for maintaining a healthy and trustworthy information ecosystem. Without a standard, a proliferation of inconsistent or unclear disclosure methods may arise.

Description

This proposal is for Creative Commons to develop and introduce a new visual mark, tentatively named "LLM Powered" (or a similar denomination like "AI Assisted"), to specifically designate works created with substantial assistance from Large Language Models.

This feature would solve the problem by:

1. Providing a Clear Standard: Offering a simple, universally recognizable visual symbol that creators can use alongside existing CC licenses to signify LLM assistance.
2. Promoting Transparency: Enabling creators to easily and clearly communicate the role of LLMs in their work, fostering honesty and trust with their audience.
3. Leveraging CC's Ecosystem: Integrating this new mark into the trusted and globally recognized Creative Commons framework would facilitate rapid adoption and understanding.
4. Harmonizing with Existing Practices: The design principles would ensure the mark is simple, visually compatible with existing CC logos, flexible, and informative.

Key aspects of the proposed mark:

• Design Inspiration: Concepts would be based on existing CC visual identity, potentially involving an extension of the CC circle logo (e.g., "CC-LLM"), an adjacent symbol (e.g., "CC + [AI Spark icon]"), or a stylized textual mark ("LLM Assisted"). The aim is for clear association with Creative Commons while being distinct enough to convey its specific meaning.
• Guiding Principles: The design would prioritize simplicity, clarity, visual integration with CC's brand, flexibility across media, informative neutrality, and longevity.

By establishing such a mark, Creative Commons can play a crucial role in standardizing how AI assistance is disclosed, benefiting both creators and users of creative works.

Alternatives

Several alternatives to a dedicated CC "LLM Powered" mark exist, but the proposed feature offers distinct advantages:

1. Solely Textual Disclaimers: Creators can (and some do) add text notes like "This text was generated with AI."

   • Why the proposed feature is better: A visual mark is more immediate, language-agnostic at a glance, and can be standardized in placement and appearance alongside other CC license marks. It offers a more integrated and less ad-hoc solution.

2. Individual Platform/Creator Markers: Different platforms or individual creators might develop their own proprietary icons or labels for AI-assisted content.

   • Why the proposed feature is better: This would lead to a fragmented and confusing landscape of different symbols. A CC-standardized mark provides universality, leverages CC's established trust and global reach, and ensures a consistent meaning.

3. No Specific Indication (Status Quo): Simply not indicating the use of LLMs.

   • Why the proposed feature is better: This lacks transparency and can erode trust as AI-assisted content becomes more common. A dedicated mark actively promotes transparency.

Within the proposal for the "LLM Powered" mark itself, several design alternatives are suggested (e.g., "CC-LLM" extension, adjacent symbol, textual mark). This internal flexibility allows for community input and selection of the most effective visual representation, but all these design options fall under the single proposed feature of having a standardized CC mark for this purpose.

Additional context

• Relevance to CC's Mission: Introducing such a mark aligns with Creative Commons' mission to foster a more equitable, accessible, and innovative global commons by promoting clarity and understanding around new forms of creation.
• Growing Need: The rapid advancement and adoption of LLMs in content creation make this a timely and increasingly important issue to address.
• Community Engagement: It's recommended that CC engage in community consultation to refine the need, terminology (e.g., "Powered," "Assisted," "Co-created"), specific visual design, and clear guidelines for when and how the mark should be used (i.e., what constitutes "significant assistance").
• Examples of Use:
  • On images/videos generated or significantly modified by an LLM.
  • In the credits of texts, articles, or books co-written or assisted by an LLM.
  • As metadata for code generated or assisted by an LLM.
  • On musical compositions assisted by an LLM.
• Precedent: Creative Commons has a history of successfully introducing symbols that become global standards for communicating information about creative works.

The adoption of an "LLM Powered" mark by Creative Commons would be a proactive step towards navigating the evolving landscape of AI in creativity, reinforcing CC’s role as a leader in promoting transparency and ethical sharing.

Implementation

• I would be interested in implementing this feature.

[jitendra1731]

Priority license