As AI tools become integral to our day-to-day life and scholarly research, the potential for transformative advancements in science and knowledge is vast. However, we are beginning to see a strange juxtaposition: Publishers are licensing high quality scholarly publications to AI companies as training materials—often without author consent, at the same, publishers are also putting more restrictions on how researchers can use licensed content for AI-assisted research. This session will focus on the severe impact of restrictive publisher contracts on U.S. researchers, who face legal hurdles that their international counterparts do not. While the EU’s Copyright Digital Single Market (CDSM) Directive and AI Act protect researchers' rights to use content for noncommercial AI training and AI-enabled research, U.S. researchers are being hampered by contracts that override fair use, putting them at a global disadvantage. Attendees will gain insight into how these legal and contractual barriers threaten the future of research and will be invited to advocate for research rights and more equitable licensing agreements.
About the Speaker: Yuanxiao Xu is a copyright attorney at Authors Alliance. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and has since served as Counsel at Creative Commons, Staff Attorney at the Dramatists Guild of America, and Copyright Specialist at the University of Michigan Library. She has substantial experience advising academic authors on issues related to plagiarism, open access, copyright infringement, fair use, licensing, and contract negotiation. Yuanxiao is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. She lives in San Diego now with her husband and their cat from Tijuana. You are welcome to email her with your thoughts and questions at xu@authorsalliance.org; she's looking forward to hearing from you.
