Generative AI drives shifts in copyright, privacy, and social media trends

The rapid expansion of generative AI is driving significant shifts across creative, legal, and social landscapes. In Kenya, the rise of AI-assisted production has prompted calls for updated copyright regulations to clarify human authorship and ownership rights for creators using these tools.

On social media, a viral trend involving ChatGPT has seen users transform selfies into 1980s-style portraits. While popular, experts warn of hidden costs, including environmental strain from data centers and privacy risks related to the collection of biometric data. Security advocates note that uploading personal images to these platforms can feed facial recognition and algorithmic profiling systems.

To address the influx of synthetic media, platforms are implementing various detection and disclosure methods. Meta uses AI signals to label organic content, while Pinterest allows users to refine recommendations to see less generative AI art. Research indicates that AI-generated content is increasingly prevalent, with some studies suggesting a high percentage of newly published websites are AI-assisted or entirely AI-generated.