Created by Humans, the AI rights licensing platform for authors, has officially launched. It pays 80 percent of proceeds to the author, although it’s yet to be seen what kind of money might be earned on a title-by-title basis. The Authors Guild, who has partnered with Created by Humans, offered members a free session to learn more about how the platform works.
While speaking at the NYU Advanced Publishing Institute last week, I had the opportunity to hear the founder, Trip Adler, speak about AI licensing and Created by Humans. What I found most interesting was his delineation of three types of AI licensing rights they plan to offer: (1) AI model training, (2) reference through RAG models (especially desirable for nonfiction), and (3) transformative rights, which would be required for derivative apps or media. As of now, only the first two licensing rights are available through Created by Humans.
A license for AI model training would allow for training of a single model; another license would have to be purchased to train a new or different model. Reference through RAG models would likely require ongoing licensing, and CBH intends to offer AI training licenses on a subscription model. No licenses have yet been sold.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
