I like to say I am a “writer who lawyers”. I begin here because I want to name my biases up front. I am a lawyer, but I come to this work first and foremost as a writer thinking about the conditions that will allow us to continue to share knowledge publicly. And in spite of—or perhaps because of—the fact that I am a lawyer, I have a healthy skepticism about the power of legal terms and conditions. The law will play a role, but the challenge of keeping the internet human will ultimately be navigated by the stories we imagine and tell.  We need new stories.

Distorted Forest Path © by Lone Thomasky & Bits&Bäume is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Here at CC, we have the goal of defending and sustaining the digital commons in the face of developments in artificial intelligence. We’ve recently introduced a new framework, CC signals, to offer a new way for stewards of large collections…

Whether you are a creator, researcher, or anyone licensing your work with a CC license, you might be wondering how it can be used to train AI. Many AI developers, who wish to comply with the CC license terms, are also seeking guidance.  The application of copyright law to AI training is complex. The CC…

SXSW by Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0 If you’ve been following along on the blog this year, you’ll know that we’ve been thinking a lot about the future of open, particularly in this age of AI. With our 2025-2028 strategy to guide us, we’ve been louder about a renewed call for reciprocity…

Astronomical Clock by olemartin is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. The team here at Creative Commons was delighted to publicly release our new organizational strategy on January 22, after almost a year of intensive team, community, and board consultations. For the next several years, our focus will be to: Strengthen the open infrastructure of sharing…

The Conciergerie, Paris by Mustang Joe is marked with CC0 1.0. On February 10 and 11, 2025, the government of France convened the AI Action Summit, bringing together heads of state, tech leaders, and civil society to discuss global collaboration and action on AI. The event was co-chaired by French President Macron and Indian Prime…

Acknowledging that some data should not be shared (for moral, ethical and/or privacy reasons) and some cannot be shared (for legal or other reasons), Creative Commons (CC) thinks there is value in incentivizing the creation, sharing, and use of open data to advance knowledge production. As open communities continue to imagine, design, and build digital…

“Eagle Traffic Signals – 1970s” by RS 1990 is licensed via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.. At the intersection of rapid advancements in generative AI and our ongoing strategy refresh, we’ve been deeply engaged in researching, analyzing, and fostering conversations about AI and value alignment. Our goal is to ensure that our legal and technical infrastructure remains…

“Eight eyes. Engraving after C. Le Brun” by Charles Le Brun is licensed via CC0. The intersection of AI, copyright, creativity, and the commons has been a focal point of conversations within our community for the past couple of years. We’ve hosted intimate roundtables, organized workshops at conferences, and run public events, digging into the…

In May, CC’s Open Culture Program hosted a new webinar in our Open Culture Live series titled “Open Culture in the Age of AI: Concerns, Hopes and Opportunities.” In this blog post we share key takeaways and a link to the recording.