Conference on AI, copyright issues begins on Dec. 2 in Istanbul

Organized by Anadolu and Bogazici University with the contributions of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the “II. Symposium on News Copyright and Artificial Intelligence in Media” will start on Monday in Istanbul.

The symposium, which will be held at the “Albert Long Hall” at Bogazici University South Campus, will bring together industry professionals, lawyers, academics and technology experts to discuss the legal, ethical and technological issues arising from the digitalization of the media.

The symposium will shed light on the effects of digitalization on copyrights in the media, as well as the opportunities and risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence in news production processes.

According to Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Law Member Professor Cahit Suluk, one of the speakers at the symposium, the revenue streams of newspapers and magazines have fallen to 5%, and as such, newspapers are no longer able to survive.

Pointing to the demand for legislators to step in and pass regulations similar to those in Europe, Suluk said: “Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook receive and use news and directly or indirectly own these revenues. European legislators have made arrangements for newspapers to receive a share of these revenues. There are some preparations on this issue in Türkiye, but no conclusion has been reached yet.”​​​​​​​

Noting that the symposium will discuss how the regulations in Europe are made, how they are put into practice and how the balances are ensured, Suluk said: “In addition, the place of artificial intelligence in journalism and how Europe regulates this issue will also be discussed. Artificial intelligence is a subject with many dimensions such as punishment, administration, constitution and copyrights. These issues need to be addressed separately.”