Patreon CEO Jack Conte has warned that artificial intelligence could severely damage the global creator economy if tech companies continue using creative work without properly compensating the people behind it.
Speaking in an interview with Business Insider, Conte said independent creators are being overlooked as AI companies strike licensing deals with major media organisations while offering little to no compensation structure for individual creators. He argued that the current system leaves creators unprotected at a time when their work is increasingly being used to train AI models.
Conte said the issue is largely about payment and rights. According to him, big technology companies currently have little incentive to negotiate directly with independent creators, which is why he believes some form of regulation may be necessary to protect rights holders who lack bargaining power.
He also said he is not opposed to AI itself. Rather, his concern is with how the technology is being rolled out and the effect it could have on artists and other creative workers. While noting that AI can help people create meaningful and expressive work, he warned that its unchecked expansion could lead to serious harm for creators worldwide.
Conte suggested that the industry may eventually need a system similar to YouTube’s Content ID, which allows rights holders to detect, remove, or monetize content that uses their copyrighted material. He said creators should either be able to opt out of having their work used for AI training or be compensated and credited when it is used.
Although he did not offer a specific solution for how such compensation should work, Conte said the main goal should be preserving the spirit of intellectual property law by ensuring creators still have an incentive to produce original work.
His comments come as legal and political debates around AI training and copyright continue to grow. Recent court decisions and proposed legislation in the United States have added pressure on AI companies to be more transparent about how they source and use copyrighted material.
Conte said he believes a compensation model for artists will eventually emerge, as pressure builds for AI companies to take creators and their rights more seriously.
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