Happy Friday!
There’s been lots of chat this week about ChatGPT for Teens after US non-profit Common Sense Media released the results of their test on the product with an “unacceptable risk” rating. OpenAI disputes the findings and says the test doesn’t reflect how its safeguards work in practice. The same day, it announced new study tools for teen accounts.
The other thing taking the headlines has been the trend (which originated in America) of using AI to remove watermarks from school photos to save having to pay for them.
It’s not just a copyright issue when you use AI to remove school photo watermarks
School photos are expensive, and AI is very good at removing watermarks. I understand why people are tempted, but I’d suggest not doing it.
Every school photo comes from a photographer who has spent time and money learning composition, lighting, and how to get your little one to smile naturally at exactly the right moment. They’re paid through photo sales, so a watermark-free copy you haven’t bought means they miss out on payment for that work.
There’s also a copyright issue. In most cases the photographer owns the copyright in the photo, not the school and not you, and that’s usually still the case when it’s a photo of your own child. Buying a photo normally gives you a licence to use it under the photographer’s terms, and removing a watermark to avoid paying won’t usually be covered by that.
The last point is privacy. A photo of your child in school uniform can show which school they go to, and uploading it to an AI tool means sharing it with a company you don’t control. We don’t know what the longer-term consequences are, because privacy problems often only show up years later. I’d only take a privacy risk when it can’t be avoided, and this one can be.
If cost is the problem, it’s worth asking the school or the photographer what the cheaper options are.
Have a lovely weekend
Once again a week with many, many news stories. We’ll be recording the podcast this Saturday so do let us know if you have any questions about the AI news.
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See you Monday!
Fiona