RSL: Data Licensing Solution

Real Simple Licensing (RSL) emerges as a potential solution for AI firms navigating copyright concerns related to training data. This system enables AI companies to license data on a large scale, provided they are willing to compensate for its use. Supported by platforms like Reddit, Quora, and Yahoo, RSL facilitates dialogue between AI developers and publishers, establishing a framework for negotiating data usage rights.

Co-founded by RSS pioneer Eckart Walther, RSL allows publishers to define content usage rules via 'robots.txt' files, which AI bots can automatically interpret. The RSL Collective, akin to ASCAP for music, manages royalty deals. This collective approach streamlines the licensing process, offering a centralised method for managing payments and agreements.

RSL's success hinges on AI companies adopting the standard and adhering to licensing terms. While some platforms have existing licensing agreements, RSL aims to simplify the process for all publishers. Fastly is developing technology to enforce compliance, potentially blocking non-compliant bots. The system offers options such as subscription, pay-per-crawl, or pay-per-inference fees, compensating publishers when AI uses their content.