Many Americans think generative AI programs should credit the sources they rely on

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, overall, 54 percent of Americans say artificial intelligence programs that generate text and images, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, need to credit the sources they rely on to produce their responses. A much smaller share (14%) says the programs don’t need to credit sources. Generative AI programs work by reviewing large amounts of information, such as the works of an artist or news organization. That allows them to generate responses when users ask questions. This process has spurred lawsuits from authors, artists and news organizations, who argue that this is an unauthorized use of copyrighted material. But some technology companies argue that this is fair use under copyright law and that the programs provide a clear public benefit. Pew's survey finds that the public consistently says AI programs should credit sources across seven examples of content they could generate.