Truth in labeling is something that has been in place for food and drug products for over a century thanks to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. As consumers, we are (or should be) interested in what we are ingesting. The saying “you are what you eat” is a statement ingrained in most Americans since it was first popularized by Victor Linklahr in the 1940s and most recently used as part of a title for a Netflix special. We are all familiar with the Nutrition Facts label that adorns most food products we buy at the store, which was mandated via the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. Since its inception, it has become a trusted resource for consumers who are interested in learning more about what the products the purchase contain. Labels have been made available for a variety of products to deliver pertinent product information to consumers.
The digital content our brain consumes is undoubtedly just as important as the food we consume and products we buy. The current administration has taken steps to formalize an AI Bill of Rights and passed the AI Disclosure Act of 2023. The integration of Artificial Intelligence into the content we ingest online brings with it the need for transparency in communication created using AI, whether it be content, graphics, or video.
The Case for AI Content Labeling
While it could be argued that labeling online content such as articles and their associated graphics/videos may decrease exposure for the publisher, there are far more benefits to providing a level of transparency much akin to the Nutrition Label we often see on food and drug products:
- Consumer Trust: Consumers deserve honesty and transparency about what they are reading, viewing, or listening to and providing truth in information may serve to elevate the quality of a creator’s brand.
- Bias Awareness: Providing consumers with an understanding of whether content is AI generated can shape how much inherent bias they must account for in the consumption of said content.
- Acknowledgement of Human Input: Even in AI-generated content/media, there are human authors, editors, and/or designers playing crucial roles. Labeling clarifies the creation process without diminishing human contributions.
When distilling the value that labeling of AI generated information brings to the consumer, analysis leads us to the conclusion that labels empower consumers to make informed choices, and cater to the varying levels of acceptance toward AI influenced content.
Industry Leaders and Legislation
Various companies are taking the lead in the effort to ensure the use of AI is transparent to their customers/user base. Instagram, for example, labels content generated using Meta’s AI tools automatically via “Imagined with AI” watermarks when shared to an Instagram post. This labeling requirement is limited to photorealistic video and audio files. While labeling in the United States is currently voluntary, there are states (like California, Illinois, Maryland, and New York City) that have put legislation in place to ensure that consumers know when they are consuming AI generated content/media. What will likely follow is federal law and it could very likely model the European AI Act, which mandates labeling of AI-generated content, with hefty monetary and administrative penalties for noncompliance. YouTube is a company that has taken a stance on this already, as violation of their AI-generated content labeling policy may result in takedowns.
The article featured in the graphic to the right provides a subtle, yet effective means of notifying consumers that the information in the article and the graphics were created with the help of AI via the use of blue labels in the byline and the upper right corner of the main picture).
A New Standard in Digital consumption
Just as we’re accustomed to scanning nutrition fact panels, the inclusion of clear AI disclosure labels will quickly become second nature for digital consumers. With transparency and public trust being paramount concerns, taking an “ingredients included” approach is well worth serious consideration.
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