Copyright at Georgian

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a specific type of technology that can produce content in response to prompts (questions or requests) within a matter of seconds. 

Generative AI creates its own content including text, imagery, and sound depending on the information and data it has been trained on, so each type of Generative AI can produce unique responses. The sources of data that these systems are trained are sometimes unclear and problematic. While some systems state what resources/materials they do and do not use in training, many of these systems do not provide any reliable tracking of sources (citations, references), and have been found to use copyrighted material that they should not be accessing without compensating the creators. This might include published sources like books and articles, artwork, general web content and more, creating issues around intellectual property and copyright.

From a student or academic integrity perspective, Generative AI tools can also be problematic. Most Generative AI systems cannot be relied upon to properly cite, attribute or reference the sources used to generate unique content. These systems are also known to plagiarize other people's work and fabricate information, evidence, and references/citations.

Examples of such tools are Google’s Bard, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilotor, DALL-E, etc.

This page addresses questions that arise from the use of Generative AI only. 

Who owns the copyrights to content created with Generative AI?

The Government of Canada has not yet determined who owns the copyrights to the information generated.  It is currently under review.

At this time, the Canadian Copyright Act allows copyright to be held only by individuals or organizations, not entities or technologies.

What should I be aware of when using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools?

While ChatGPT is a very well known Generative AI tool, there are numerous tools available. This guidance applies to all AI tools for which you input/upload/prompt the system to generate content for you.

Get permission to use Generative AI: 

• Verify from your professor (students) or your manager/director that you have permission to use this as a source for your work, your report or your publication. 
• Review the Terms of Service of each tool.  Each one can be different, and they may change without warning and frequently.  This will guide what you can do with the tool. 

Consider what you input/paste into a Generative AI tool: 

• Be aware of what you input as a prompt (question or query) into the system.  See Uploading Content into Generative AI, below.  Generative AI adds anything that you paste/input in the tool as part of the pool of information it may use to generate a response to the next question asked.  You should not input any of the following:
  • Content that has restrictions on usage
  • Content you do not have permission to share
  • Content you do not own or hold the copyrights to
• Remember that you do not own the copyright for whatever the tool generates as an answer to your prompt, so you cannot reproduce or claim as your own work

Provide Proper Attribution 

• Give credit to your source: Keep a record of the transaction, URL (IP address) and date.  See the the Library's APA guide for the correct APA citation style.

Uploading Content into Generative AI Tools

Uploading content refers to uploading files, copying & pasting text or images from a source mentioned below, or typing out content from the source and submitting it to an AI tool as part of the process of generating a response.

Can I upload content from the library’s licensed database for summary or review? 

• No. Everything within the library’s subscription databases, including all articles and electronic books, is restricted by licence from sharing with any third parties outside of the Georgian College community, including third party platforms.

Can I upload content from Creative Commons?

• If you hold the copyrights to the content, then yes.  
• If there is a CC licence check the permissions for this use.

Can I upload works that are in the Public Domain? 

• Copyrights for works that are in the Public Domain have expired, and these works are free for anyone to use.  Yes, you can use these within AI tools.