Academic authors ‘shocked’ after Taylor & Francis sells access to their research to Microsoft AI

Academic Authors Express Concern Over Unnotified AI Deal and Lack of Compensation

This story identified a major and contentious development in academic publishing: Taylor & Francis, one of the largest publishers, providing Microsoft with access to its research content for use by their AI tools – but without any consultation or compensation to authors. The original is a $10-million deal in its first year, or about £8 million.

Key Points

• No Author Notification or Compensation
• But academics were not made aware of the tie-up.
• They also did not have a choice to opt out.
• They were paid nothing additional for their efforts.

From the Academic Public Health Community:

• This outraged and shocked Dr. Ruth Alison Clemens, who said this is uncertain required communication or perhaps even more transparent governance as far as she was concerned.
• Such deals raised ethical as well as legal problems, according to the Society of Authors.
• The concerns have been echoed by other academics and authors, who warn that the integrity of academic research itself – and therefore its future- is at stake.

Publisher’s Defense:

• Taylor & Francis vows to uphold the integrity of authors’ work and their rights.
• The publisher also detailed the ‘financial terms’ of the arrangement, which consisys of an upfront payment and inidicative figures for ‘trailing payments that will be made over a three year period.

Call for Author Action:

• They are encouraged to review their publishing contracts and ask about AI policies.
• Close The Society of Authors and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) are to provide help in researching collective licensing opportunities.

Broader Implications:

• The article refers to a wider industry trend in which technology companies are increasingly striking deals with publishers.
• An example of this is the new AI re-use rights that are within the CCC’s Annual Copyright License.

What This Means for Authors and the Scholarly Community

Therefore, it highlights that most especially given the increasing presence of AI and machine learning, transparency and reasonable compensation for academic work cannot be ignored. Authors, in turn, must be vigilant with their rights and engage the publishers / professional organizations so as to get theirs secured. The episode highlights the fact that strong policy and much more likely new regulatory structures might be needed to address AI in academic publishing.