Here’s a solution for creators’ problems with AI: Pay them.

Can Calliope Networks assuage creator fears about AI by compensating them for scraped content? That’s what the young startup is trying to do.

Calliope is launching a program called License to Scrape. The idea behind it is simple: Creators who are concerned about infringement from generative AI models can enter into licensing deals in order to protect their IP and receive compensation when it is used for scraping purposes.

The deals will be modeled after the licensing agreements that form the foundation of traditional arts industries like film and music. The likeness is no coincidence; Calliope CEO Dave Davis worked at the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation before launching his startup.

Calliope’s website explains that its creator partners are compensated through a revenue-sharing program. The company will negotiate sublicensing agreements with AI companies and deliver a portion of the ensuing royalties to the creators who have their content scraped.

“There’s obvious demand from AI companies to scrape YouTube content. We see that by their actions,” Davis told Wired. “So what we’re trying to do is to create a tool that makes it legal and simple for them.”

Davis said that Calliope will need to offer companies at least 25,000 hours of content before AI companies buy into its business model. That skews License to Scrape toward bigger creators who can deliver large enough libraries to satisfy partners. One agency supplying Calliope with creators is Viral Nation. That firm has received “really good feedback from creators” regarding Calliope, according to Head of Content Licensing Bianca Serafini

Aside from channel size, the other big issue Calliope must contend with is creator skepticism regarding generative AI. Some feel that poorly regulated scraping policies allow generative AI models to pirate creator content. That sentiment led to a class-action lawsuit led by David Millette.

Companies like AsqMe have developed solutions to give creators more control over the way their content is used for AI training, and ChatGPT maker OpenAI is building a media manager to offer similar functionality. But fears about AI are still common in the creator economy, and with databases like “the pile” making it harder to control the flow of training material, a stronger solution is needed.

Calliope’s License to Scrape could be that solution. The startup is part of the Dataset Providers Alliance, which strives for ethical practices in the realm of AI training.

The startup also has room to expand beyond its signature model. YouTube is using its Content ID framework to develop a system that will be able to identify and control AI-generated dupes. As Calliope builds up its treasure trove of creator data, it could try to implement a similar program from a third-party perspective. But first, creators need to buy in — and hopefully get paid in the process.