If people used the correct term for it, "lossy compression", then it would be clearer that yeah, definitely there's a line where systems like these are violating copyright and the only questions are:
1. where is the line that lossy compressions is violating copyright?
2. where are systems like chatgpt relative to that line?
I don't know that it's unreasonable to answer (1) with that even an extremely lossy compression can violate copyright. I mean, if I take your high-res 100MB photo, downsample it to something much smaller, losing even 99% of it, distributing that could still violate your copyright.
Again, how is that different than me reading a book then giving you the abridged version of it, perhaps by explaining it orally? Isn't that the same? I also performed a "lossy compression" in my brain to do this.
> is that different than me reading a book then giving you the abridged version of it, perhaps by explaining it orally?
That seems like a bad example, I think you are probably free to even read the book out loud in its entirety to me.
Are you able to record yourself doing that and sell it as an audiobook?
What if you do that, but change one word on each page to a synonym of that word?
10% of words to synonyms?
10% of paragraphs rephrased?
Each chapter just summarized?
The first point that seems easier to agree on isn't really about the specific line, just a recognition that there is a point that such a system crosses where we can all agree that it is copying and that then the interesting thing is just about where the boundaries of the grey area are (i.e. where are the points on that line that we agree that it is and isn't copying, with some grey area between them where we disagree or can't decide).
In one case, you are doing it and society is fine with that because a human being has inherent limitations. In other case, a machine is doing it which has different sets of limitations, which gives it vastly different abilities. That is the fundamental difference.
This also played out in the streetview debate - someone standing in public areas taking pictures of surroundings? No problem! An automated machine being driven around by a megacorp on every single street? Big problem.
If people used the correct term for it, "lossy compression", then it would be clearer that yeah, definitely there's a line where systems like these are violating copyright and the only questions are:
1. where is the line that lossy compressions is violating copyright?
2. where are systems like chatgpt relative to that line?
I don't know that it's unreasonable to answer (1) with that even an extremely lossy compression can violate copyright. I mean, if I take your high-res 100MB photo, downsample it to something much smaller, losing even 99% of it, distributing that could still violate your copyright.