The Value Use and Copyright commission has recently started a new research track concerning the use of AI in broadcast archives. The intention is to create a report in 2025 with best practices and advice about how to deal with copyright and use in an accelerating world of AI with giant tech companies longing for datasets for their generative AI tools, and archivists longing for making their archives more transparent with the help of AI assisted metadata generation.

The AI research track will soon begin with a survey among broadcast archivists and a workshop on AI and rights at the FIAT/IFTA world conference in Bucharest in October 2024.

While the VUC commission has started the planning of this project, the president of FIAT/IFTA, Brecht Declercq, has independently written an article about the current state of AI in the world of broadcast archives. The article urges the reader to be aware of the possibilities and risks with AI tools in archives and mentions a lot of sources and case stories, if the reader needs to know more about the subject.

The article is written in a personal capacity and does not necessarily represent nor FIAT/IFTA, nor RSI.

It invites reflection and gives the reader an awareness of an accelerating archive landscape which all in a sudden has become of huge value to tech companies who want to train their engines with datasets from broadcast archives.

The VUC commission invites you to read the article and send comments and statements to the commission. Please send your thoughts to the author, Brecht Declercq: president@fiatifta.org and chair of the VUC commission, Dale Grayson: dale.grayson@northboundtv.com