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Following our initial announcement for the 2023 Creative Commons Global Summit, we are now excited to open the next phase of preparation for this much-anticipated event, set to take place during 3–6 October 2023 in the heart of Mexico City. Today, we are opening up registration, initiating the call for proposals, and starting to accept scholarship applications.

Summit theme: AI & the commons

As preparations have evolved, we’re also honing the thematic focus for this year’s Summit to be AI & the Commons.

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) has come to dominate conversations and activities across our communities. Even the term “AI” is oversimplified and contested, as it stands for a wide variety of machine learning practices and tools with different origins and uses that are not necessarily artificial (as AI is made by humans) nor intelligent (in the way that humans are). Meanwhile, creators are bringing AI tools into their work, researchers are harnessing AI to explore large datasets, and educators are using AI to help build new open educational resources. But at the same time, artists and writers are questioning how AI builds on their creations, publications like Wikipedia and scholarly journals are struggling with automated submissions powered by AI, and policymakers are adopting new AI regulations like those we see in the European Union, perhaps without considering global concerns.

The intersection between AI and the commons is complex, but one thing is clear: AI brings significant opportunities and challenges both to the commons and to CC’s strategy to support better sharing, sharing that is contextual, inclusive, just, equitable, reciprocal, and sustainable.

At CC, we’ve been exploring issues around AI for some time — for example, see our 2023 blog post series and our 2021 blog post: Should CC-Licensed Content be Used to Train AI? It Depends. But the way forward is still not clear. We need to keep going and explore AI’s complexity as a community, so we are excited to be able to have the Summit as an opportunity to further conversation, exploration, and understanding.

We will come to Summit looking to extend our understanding of AI and the commons, but the Summit will also have a wide mix of sessions, include classic CC topics that may not relate to AI, and bring together people from across the CC community to connect live in Mexico City and also virtually online for those who are not able to attend in person.

Register

Join us at the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco during 3–6 October 2023, as we convene open knowledge and culture enthusiasts from around the world to exchange ideas, develop solutions, and collectively shape the future of digital creativity and collaboration.

Expect a vibrant and diverse gathering at this year’s Summit, featuring an array of sessions including keynotes, panels, community sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, as well as art and music. So, whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a digital creator, a policy expert, or a fervent member of the CC community, there will be sessions and conversations that will engage you.

For those who can’t join us in Mexico City, we’re planning additional online/virtual gatherings before, during, and after the in-person Summit.

 

REGISTER NOW >> 

Propose a session

We are also thrilled to announce our call for proposals. The community program committee invites proposals that address AI and the commons and/or other topics relevant to the CC community, especially proposals that go beyond standard conference sessions to explore interactive experiences, cultural works, and collaborative outcomes. We invite all activists, creators, advocates, librarians, students, educators, lawyers, technologists, and others across the globe to submit their ideas, projects, and experiences. We welcome a myriad of presentation formats, including keynotes, panels, community sessions, workshops, networking, art, and music.

The deadline for submitting proposals is midnight Pacific Time (UTC-7) on 4 July 2023.

 

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL >>

Apply for a scholarship

We are now accepting applications for the 2023 CC Global Summit scholarship fund until 26 June 2023. The scholarship fund exists to help cover the cost of attendance for the Summit for those who may not be able to attend otherwise. We want to make sure that as many people as possible have a chance to participate in and benefit from the CC community, regardless of their financial situation. A primary goal of the scholarships is to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion among Summit participants. At past CC Summits, nearly 25% of all attendees received some CC scholarship support. Our scholarship recipients come from every CC world region, with a focus on ensuring that individuals from Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America are well-represented.

The deadline for applying for a scholarship is midnight Pacific Time (UTC-7) on 26 June 2023.

 

LEARN MORE AND APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP >>

Stay connected

Don’t miss this unparalleled experience at the 2023 CC Global Summit in Mexico City! To stay informed about CC Summit news and updates:

• Join Our Mailing List: Never miss an update! Subscribe to our mailing list and get all the latest CC Summit news delivered straight to your inbox.
• Follow Us on Social Media: Keep up with all things CC Summit by following us on your preferred social platform. We’re active on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
• Get Involved with CC on Slack: Engage directly with our team and fellow CC enthusiasts. Join our Slack community for real-time discussions and updates.

 

Interested in becoming a sponsor for the 2023 CC Global Summit? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities by contacting Javaher Nooryani at javaher@creativecommons.org.

Join us in Mexico City during 3–6 October for the 2023 CC Global Summit to connect with fellow creators, innovators, and changemakers who are driving the future of #BetterSharing. Register today and secure your spot >>

The post 2023 CC Global Summit: Registration, Call for Proposals, and Scholarships Now Open appeared first on Creative Commons.

As part of our #20CC anniversary, last year we joined forces with Fine Acts to spark a global dialogue on what better sharing looks like in action. Our #BetterSharing collection of illustrations was the result — we gathered insights from 12 prominent open advocates around the world and tasked 12 renowned artists who embrace openness with transforming these perspectives into captivating visual pieces available under a CC license.

Each month throughout 2023, we will be spotlighting a different CC-licensed illustration from the collection on our social media headers and the CC blog. For June, we’re excited to showcase “Share Freely, Openly, Like We Share Air” by Hust Wilson. The piece, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, was inspired by a quote from David Moinina Sengeh, Education Minister and Chief Innovation Officer of Sierra Leone and TED Senior Fellow:

“To share anything freely and openly, much like we share air, is to be alive.”

Meet the artist:

Huston Wilson, known as Hust Wilson, is an Art Director and Designer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He grew up learning different design skills to improve his knowledge on the history of design, but has an aesthetic for typography and illustration. With a profound passion for design, Hust has established himself as a masterful artist, renowned for crafting captivating artworks that convey compelling stories. “Always improve yourself and get out of your comfort box” are words constantly employed within his mind.

Follow Hust on Instagram: @hustwilson
Follow Hust on Behance: @hustwilson

The full #BetterSharing collection is available on TheGreats.co to be enjoyed, used and adapted, and then shared again, by anyone, forever. View the full collection >>

The post CC’s #BetterSharing Collection | June: Share Freely, Openly, Like We Share Air appeared first on Creative Commons.

 

“Opening up cultural artifacts from African organizations might change how we’re represented in online spaces” says Kirsty von Gogh from Johannesburg. She also shares how increasing production of culturally, linguistically, and contextually aware and relevant content can ensure a more representative digital space for Africans, and how open licensing increases accessibility to this content.

Open Culture VOICES is a series of short videos that highlight the benefits and barriers of open culture as well as inspiration and advice on the subject of opening up cultural heritage. Kirsty is a project manager for Neil Buchanan & Associates where she works to promote open licensing of educational and cultural material across Africa, for example of story books in underrepresented languages, and the implementation of the UNESCO recommendation on Open Education Resources.

Kirsty responds to the following questions:

1. What are the main benefits of open GLAM?
2. What are the barriers?
3. Could you share something someone else told you that opened up your eyes and mind about open GLAM?
4. Do you have a personal message to those hesitating to open up collections?

Closed captions are available for this video, you can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video. A red line will appear under the icon when closed captions have been enabled. Closed captions may be affected by Internet connectivity — if you experience a lag, we recommend watching the videos directly on YouTube.

Want to hear more insights from Open Culture experts from around the world? Watch more episodes of Open Culture VOICES here >>

The post Kirsty von Gogh — Open Culture VOICES, Season 2 Episode 17 appeared first on Creative Commons.

Join us on 14 June at ‘Disruption: Creator Edition’ as we explore the profound influence of generative AI on creativity across multiple industries. Register now >>

CC has long focused on the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) can build on, contribute to, and exploit the commons and impact sharing of knowledge and creativity. The rapid rise of generative AI late last year presented a unique challenge and opportunity for CC. From the community and beyond, we saw an urgent demand for support in navigating AI’s implications for the commons.

This year, we kicked off a public consultation with CC community members and a wide range of stakeholders. We believe AI can work in the public interest, and want to be part of the solution in navigating to that reality.

As one component of that consultation, we joined forces with the team at EQTY Lab, and with Nonny de la Peña of the Arizona State University California Center, to host an event called Disruption. This brought together a diverse set of speakers, from the fields of law, entertainment, and beyond, and showcased a series of curated conversations about copyright and generative AI in arts & entertainment. We gratefully received fiscal support from Morrison Foerster, whose lawyers are on the front lines of what may well turn out to be landmark cases in the field of generative AI.

We’ve always been an organization that, at our core, is about empowering creators to share knowledge and creativity in ways that work for them. We are delighted to announce that the next iteration of Disruption will happen 14 June in Los Angeles, bringing together experts across AI and creators across film & TV, music, and the arts to discuss how creators in all arts & entertainment industries are being affected with the rise of generative AI. This conversation goes beyond copyright, into issues of labor, value, ethics, and more.

Date: 14 June
Time: 9:30am to 5pm (optional happy hour afterwards)
Location: ASU California Center (1111 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015)

Please register if you are able to attend.

Creative Commons has a strategic emphasis on “better sharing”, sharing that is just, equitable, and pro-social. Copyright, and the open licenses that CC stewards, are one way to share knowledge and creativity, but many more abound. How can we balance technological innovation and development of disruptive tools with the rights of creators to be fairly remunerated for their human creative efforts? And how do we ensure individual freedoms whilst protecting broader social norms?

In particular, we want to interrogate these key themes during the course of the proceedings as they relate to creators:

Representation

• How can we address the problems of representation in generative AI while we’re still early in its rise? How can creators be a part of that?
• How does AI affect inclusion and representation in the entertainment industries?

Lessons Learned

• What can we learn from the past? The ways previous technologies have been incorporated into art, and in particular the relationships between creators and publishers, distributors, and other intermediaries?
• Generative AI carries both opportunities and challenges for creators, but which if any are innate in the technology and which stem from other factors, like the current business and institutional structures?

The political environment

• How might labor policy and organizing from the creator perspective factor into the future of generative AI, and how do they compare to other levers for policy and business change?

Register here to join us on June 14th in downtown LA.

The proceedings will be recorded and released at a future date. Full speaker line-up is forthcoming.

The post Join us for ‘Disruption: Creator Edition’ — An Event Exploring Generative AI’s Impact on Creators appeared first on Creative Commons.

 

“Open Access… is an amplification of the work that these institutions do” Ivan says in this episode. He also shares what unique challenges are faced by cultural heritage institutions in Mexico which has one of the longest copyright terms in the world: 100 years plus the lifetime of the creator or author

Open Culture VOICES is a series of short videos that highlight the benefits and barriers of open culture as well as inspiration and advice on the subject of opening up cultural heritage. Ivan is a Coordinator for Creative Commons Mexico, an activist for knowledge and human rights, and is part of the organizing team of the 2023 CC Summit in Mexico City.

Ivan responds to the following questions:

1. What are the main benefits of open GLAM?
2. What are the barriers?
3. Could you share something someone else told you that opened up your eyes and mind about open GLAM?
4. Do you have a personal message to those hesitating to open up collections?

Closed captions are available for this video, you can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video. A red line will appear under the icon when closed captions have been enabled. Closed captions may be affected by Internet connectivity — if you experience a lag, we recommend watching the videos directly on YouTube.

Want to hear more insights from Open Culture experts from around the world? Watch more episodes of Open Culture VOICES here >>

The post Ivan Martinez — Open Culture VOICES, Season 2 Episode 8 appeared first on Creative Commons.