Eckart Walther's Team Launches Real Simple Licensing to Standardize AI Data Access

RSS Co-Creator Launches New Protocol for AI Data Licensing In a move aimed at standardizing and scaling the licensing of online content for artificial intelligence (AI) training, a group led by RSS co-creator Eckart Walther has launched Real Simple Licensing (RSL), a new protocol designed to simplify the process. Backed by prominent publishers such as Reddit, Quora, Yahoo, and Medium, RSL combines machine-readable terms in robots.txt with a collective rights organization. According to TechCrunch, Walther stated that the goal of RSL was to create a training-data licensing system that could scale across the internet. "We need to have machine-readable licensing agreements for the internet," he said. "That's really what RSL solves." RSL is an attempt to address the long-standing issue of unclear collection practices in AI data licensing, which has been a concern for years. The Dataset Providers Alliance has been pushing for clearer guidelines, but RSL is the first technical and legal infrastructure designed to make it work in practice. The RSL Protocol outlines specific licensing terms that publishers can set for their content, whether AI companies need a custom license or to adopt existing ones. This approach aims to simplify the process of obtaining licenses for AI training data, making it more accessible and efficient. RSL's launch has sparked interest among industry experts, who see it as an opportunity to standardize AI data licensing and promote transparency in the field. However, its adoption by AI labs remains uncertain, and some have expressed concerns about the potential impact on small publishers and content creators. The development of RSL is significant, given the growing demand for high-quality training data in AI research and development. As AI continues to transform industries and societies worldwide, the need for standardized licensing protocols has become increasingly pressing. RSL's success will depend on its ability to gain widespread adoption among AI labs and publishers. If successful, it could pave the way for a more transparent and efficient AI data market, benefiting both content creators and AI developers alike. Background The issue of unclear collection practices in AI data licensing has been a concern for years, with groups like the Dataset Providers Alliance pushing for clearer guidelines. However, RSL is the first attempt at creating a technical and legal infrastructure to make it work in practice. Additional Perspectives Industry experts see RSL as an opportunity to standardize AI data licensing and promote transparency in the field. "RSL has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach AI data licensing," said Dr. Rachel Kim, a leading expert on AI ethics. "However, its adoption will depend on its ability to balance the interests of publishers and AI labs." Current Status and Next Developments The launch of RSL marks an important step towards standardizing AI data licensing. As the protocol gains traction, it remains to be seen whether AI labs will agree to adopt it. The success of RSL will depend on its ability to balance the interests of publishers and AI labs, ensuring that both parties benefit from a more transparent and efficient AI data market. Sources TechCrunch: "Real Simple Licensing (RSL) Launched by RSS Co-Creator Eckart Walther" Dataset Providers Alliance: "Clearer Collection Practices for AI Data Licensing" *Reporting by Tech.*