Artificial Intelligence disrupts artists' internet bond; Creative Commons suggests a remedy indicating photo usage by machines
The Creative Commons organization has announced the development of CC Signals, a new framework aimed at addressing the complexities of AI use within the Creative Commons. Scheduled for launch in November 2025, this innovative system is designed to promote care, reciprocity, and intention within the Creative Commons, while ensuring the sustainable growth of the creative commons in the era of artificial intelligence [1].
Key features of CC Signals include:
- Creator agency: CC Signals provide creators with the power to articulate how their content should be used or not used in training AI, offering more control than the current copyright system typically does.
- Alignment with existing standards: CC Signals build upon emerging AI usage preference standards, such as those expressed via robots.txt and other technical solutions.
- Emphasis on reciprocity and commons protection: The framework encourages a balance where AI users who draw on shared creative content are expected to give something back, thus protecting the creative commons as a vital space for human creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
- Partial sharing over full opt-out: CC Signals are designed for creators who want to share their works with specific terms attached, rather than those who wish to completely prevent their work from being used in AI training.
This initiative is part of a broader ongoing discussion and effort to ensure transparency and fairness in AI training data use, especially in copyright-protected content [2][3]. Creative Commons Signals are considered an ethical and pragmatic tool rather than a legal one.
As of July 2025, CC Signals are positioned as a first step in this landscape, with the Creative Commons organization advocating for their uptake to clarify usage expectations and maintain a healthy, sustainable creative ecosystem in the age of AI.
Creators can choose from four different CC Signals to indicate how an AI can use their work: Credit, Direct Contribution, Ecosystem Contribution, and Open. These signals offer creators a way to express their preferences for AI use, ensuring their rights are upheld and the integrity of the commons is maintained amid AI’s expanding impact on creative labor.
The Creative Commons organization encourages public feedback on the concept of CC Signals and invites creators to submit feedback on the proposed structure of Creative Commons Signals using GitHub. The organization believes that a thriving Creative Commons should not thrive on extraction or neglect, but on replenishment by the collective it serves.
Some creators have expressed concerns about AI models profiting off the Creative Commons while potentially threatening its existence. With CC Signals, the Creative Commons aims to address these concerns and ensure that the creative commons remains a vibrant and sustainable space for human creativity and innovation.
References:
[1] Creative Commons (2025). CC Signals: Frequently Asked Questions. https://creativecommons.org/ccsignals/faq/
[2] Lessig, L. (2024). Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. Penguin.
[3] Riedl, J., & Schmidt, H. (2023). The Future of Copyright and AI: Balancing Creators' Interests and AI Development. Harvard Law Review, 136(6), 1453-1506.
- In the era of artificial intelligence, the Creative Commons organization is introducing CC Signals, a new framework designed to promote care, reciprocity, and intention within the Creative Commons.
- CC Signals offer creators the power to control how their content is used or not used in AI training, providing a level of agency beyond the current copyright system.
- Aligning with emerging AI usage preference standards, CC Signals encourage a balanced approach where AI users who leverage shared creative content are expected to give something back to protect the creative commons.
- Creators can choose from four different CC Signals - Credit, Direct Contribution, Ecosystem Contribution, and Open - to express their preferences for AI use and uphold their rights in the face of AI's expansive impact on creative labor.
- After its launch in November 2025, CC Signals will also help in fostering transparency and fairness in AI training data use, particularly in copyright-protected content.
- The Creative Commons organization is currently gathering feedback on the concept of CC Signals and encourages creators to voice their opinions on the proposed structure via GitHub.
- The goal of CC Signals is to ensure the creative commons remains a thriving space for human creativity and innovation, addressing concerns about AI models profiting off the commons while potentially threatening its existence.
