The German federal government responded cautiously to a call made by ARD, ZDF, and several media associations regarding the need for protection against AI exploitation. During a press conference on Wednesday, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the dts news agency that, “The federal government will certainly take this into account within the relevant departments. We are aware of the problems that arise from the use of AI, and we are certainly in communication with the publishers as well”. He noted that the associations frequently lobby the federal government to make their positions clear.
Kornelius mentioned that while Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has previously indicated that he believes less AI regulation is necessary, he saw no contradiction in this. He stated, “The AI regulatory framework being established by the European Union also involves thinking about the impact on individual industries in detail. This is principally about the use of data and, so to speak, the data sovereignty of the publishers themselves”.
The media associations released their appeal on Tuesday. In a joint statement from the public broadcasters and the associations BDZV, MVFP, and VAUNET, they emphasized that “fair framework conditions are necessary so that media companies can continue to guarantee a diverse and democratic public sphere”.
Specifically, the appeal pointed to necessary revisions in media, competition, and copyright law. The text demanded that news media providers must “retain full control over the use of their content by AI providers and platforms”. This stipulation was particularly relevant for using editorial content for training purposes, as well as for developing AI-based competitive offerings to media providers. Crucially, the decision regarding the use of journalistic content by AI providers and platforms must fall under the “sovereignty of the publishing media providers”.
Furthermore, the appeal asserted that “there is a need for clearer, enforceable rights in Germany that oblige the AI platforms accessing or exploiting journalistic content to pay appropriate compensation to the media providers”. This requirement, the text concluded, presupposes the disclosure of how and for what the journalistic and editorial content is being used.
