Google has adopted a robust stance aimed at safeguarding the interests of users who harness its generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems within the Google Cloud and Workspace ecosystems against potential allegations of intellectual property infringement.

This move finds resonance with industry titans such as Microsoft and Adobe, both of which have previously undertaken analogous commitments.

The realm of generative AI, a technological marvel capable of crafting novel content through the synthesis of existing data, has emerged as a pivotal focal point for Google.

The company's substantial investments in this domain have yielded a fusion of generative AI into their product portfolio, notably finding application in the Vertex AI development platform and the innovative Duet AI system.

Yet, these strides in technological advancement have not been devoid of contention, prompting concerns from content creators who assert that their intellectual property rights have been encroached upon by Google and other enterprises with proprietary generative AI systems.

In response to these grievances, a wave of litigation has materialised, seeking redress for alleged infringements.

Google's Generative AI Products Under Legal Umbrella

In a decisive move, Google has taken to its official blog, unveiling a transformative declaration on 13 October.

In this proclamation, the tech giant assured customers employing products that integrate generative AI functionalities of comprehensive legal protection.

This announcement represents a direct response to the apprehensions surrounding copyright matters associated with generative AI technology.

In precise terms, Google has delineated a roster of eligible products encompassed by this legal shield.

These encompass the Duet AI system in Workspace, empowering text and image generation across Google Docs, Gmail, Google Slides, and Google Meet.

Also, the Duet AI in Google Cloud, Vertex AI Search, Vertex AI Conversation, Vertex AI Text Embedding API, Visual Captioning on Vertex AI, and the Codey APIs, stand out as beneficiaries of this protective embrace.

Nevertheless, conspicuously absent from this roster is Google's Bard search tool.

Google's Strategy

Google's approach to intellectual property indemnification adopts a unique "two-pronged" framework.

This initiative extends protection to both the training data and the outputs generated by Google's foundational AI models.

A spokesperson from the company said:

"To our knowledge, Google is the first in the industry to offer a comprehensive, two-pronged approach to indemnity."

Practically, this implies that if any individual or entity should find themselves embroiled in legal proceedings due to the use of Google's training data, including copyrighted material, Google accepts the mantle of responsibility in addressing any ensuing legal challenges.

It is noteworthy that while providing indemnity for training data is not an entirely novel concept within Google's purview, the company has recognised its customers' desire for explicit, unequivocal confirmation that this protection extends to situations where copyrighted material is an integral part of the training data.

Google proclaimed:

“If you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved."