Generative AI and the Future of the Digital Commons: Five Open Questions and Knowledge Gaps

TL;DR

This paper explores critical open questions about how Generative AI impacts the sustainability, accessibility, and governance of the digital commons, emphasizing the need for responsible practices and new frameworks.

Contribution

It identifies five urgent questions regarding GenAI's effects on the digital commons and proposes a research agenda for developing an AI commons and sustainable knowledge infrastructure.

Findings

Highlights risks of undersupply and content degradation in the digital commons.

Raises concerns about access restrictions and their impact on open web content.

Calls for updated standards and frameworks to support sustainable AI development.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of Generative AI (GenAI) relies heavily on the digital commons, a vast collection of free and open online content that is created, shared, and maintained by communities. However, this relationship is becoming increasingly strained due to financial burdens, decreased contributions, and misalignment between AI models and community norms. As we move deeper into the GenAI era, it is essential to examine the interdependent relationship between GenAI, the long-term sustainability of the digital commons, and the equity of current AI development practices. We highlight five critical questions that require urgent attention: 1. How can we prevent the digital commons from being threatened by undersupply as individuals cease contributing to the commons and turn to Generative AI for information? 2. How can we mitigate the risk of the open web closing due to restrictions on access to curb AI crawlers? 3. How can technical standards and legal frameworks be updated to reflect the evolving needs of organizations hosting common content? 4. What are the effects of increased synthetic content in open knowledge databases, and how can we ensure their integrity? 5. How can we account for and distribute the infrastructural and environmental costs of providing data for AI training? We emphasize the need for more responsible practices in AI development, recognizing the digital commons not only as content but as a collaborative and decentralized form of knowledge governance, which relies on the practice of "commoning" - making, maintaining, and protecting shared and open resources. Ultimately, our goal is to stimulate discussion and research on the intersection of Generative AI and the digital commons, with the aim of developing an "AI commons" and public infrastructures for AI development that support the long-term health of the digital commons.