At the Centre on Knowledge Governance, we are working at the intersection of Copyright, the Right to Research and ‘Just AI’. We are looking for tools that can be used to ensure that researchers are able to use AI for public interest purposes, like health and education, whilst ensuring that the rights of creators and communities and custodians of traditional knowledge are respected. To that end we have developed a table which locates different policy approaches to IP and AI training data on a spectrum, starting with ‘full access’ for public interest research and ‘full protection’ for systems that can replicate or mimic works of entertainment, such as music and movies.
This table proposing a Scale of Tools was developed with input from a group of African experts and policy makers at our Retreat on Copyright and Just AI at the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa in February 2026.
This approach will also be discussed further at our upcoming Meeting on Creating and Researching with AI in Rio de Janeiro in June 2026 and at our User Rights meeting on Copyright the Right to Research and Just AI from 1-2 October 2026.
It will also be used as part of the curriculum during our upcoming Upskill Executive Education Course on IP and AI to be held in Geneva from 29-30 September 2026.
For more on ‘Just AI’, visit our Focus Area page on Copyright the Right to Research and Just AI.
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Do you have ideas or suggestions about our approach? Please reach out to us using our contact form.
