(Originally Posted on September 26th 2023)
There are a lot of terms and buzzwords thrown around for many of the ‘attractive’ concepts surrounding these subjects but the majority of the words often used are actually in the wrong definition/context. It is incredibly important to realize the exact definition when getting immersed in these new technologies.
“Own your digital assets with NFTs!”. “Creations from Generative A.I.s are owned by the prompter but cannot be used for (X).” In regards to NFts and Generative A.I. creations, what does ownership actually mean and how much accessibility does an ‘owner’ have over the asset/creation? The debacle is quite a discussion.
The short answer is: It depends on who is asked and where it was obtained.
The long answer: Requires a participant’s ability to research and keep up to date with current news. Regularly when something is in one’s possession that usually means the holder has access to the item and can do whatever they want with it. But in this digital landscape, there may be restrictions tied to the digital asset that isn’t exactly publicized to the prospective buyer/creator.
For NFTs: The information is found in the ‘metadata’ or ‘Smart Contract’ of what can and cannot be done with the asset. Many of them don’t allow as many actions as the buyer COULD do with the asset, such as using it as a foundation for merchandise creation, making it apart of a business, mixing it in a logo for personal use, adding it to a collection to be repurposed, ETC.
For ‘Generative A.I.’ this is a similar issue but the answer resides in the company’s guidelines or terms of use for what THEIR ‘A.I.’ creations can be used for. Yes, the creation probably wouldn’t have been made without the prompters’ input, but the ability to create it would have been impossible without the companies ‘A.I.’. Many companies are open to the usability of the creations but it is always best to know the exact limits of the creations by that specific ‘Generative’ program.
‘Ownership’ is secretly a spicy topic in this new frontier that many neglect to realize they need to understand. The importance of knowing the full use of these assets and creations for usability is vital and often the point of owning something. If the use case of a held asset is restricted without proper knowledge then the reason for owning that item diminishes.
Helpful Advice:
Research and find out if there are any restrictions to an asset/creation so a better idea of a personal use case is known.
Think of how these things might be best used beyond their original design.
Usability is important to realize with these areas and looking up discussions about it may give a better understanding.