Control or Relevance

There’s a lot of yapping these days about “protecting your rights” by opting out of AI training. It sounds heroic, and in theory, I support getting paid for your work. But if you think keeping your stuff out of the machine will help you-unless you’re already famous-you’re dead wrong.

We’re living in a world where almost everything you find-news, art, music, opinions-shows up in your feed because an algorithm put it there. Newspapers are fossils (I actually line my parrot’s cage with ones they dump for free in my mailbox), TV is just streaming with a new name, and every recommendation you get is already steered by algorithms. If you’re not in the training data, you don’t exist to the next generation of consumers. If you’re not in the model, not even Lara Croft is going to be able to find you.

1. The New Gatekeepers Are AI
Discovery used to be about search engines and sharing on social. Now? It’s whatever AI decides to show people-feeds, recommendations, suggested videos, auto-generated playlists. If you’re not in the AI loop, you’re off the grid, period.

2. “Opting Out” Means Vanishing-Ask Anyone Who Tried to Block Google
Back in the early 2000s, as the .com bubble was popping and the ‘net was shifting towards entertainment and socials (YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit), some businesses thought they were protecting themselves by blocking Google from indexing their sites. They basically disappeared overnight. It wasn’t a “win” for their rights-it was a fast-track to irrelevance. Same move & outcome, new era & technology.

3. The Real Fight Isn’t About Rights-It’s About Staying Visible
Let’s be honest: copyright and control are losing battles for anyone who isn’t already a household name. The places people actually go for news, music, and art-the big feeds, the gatekeeper apps-are AI-curated. If you’re not feeding that system, you’re locked out of the conversation.

4. China Is Playing to Win-and Already There
Don’t kid yourself that we can “hold the line” in the West. As of 2017-this isn’t new, which is the impression given by the press today-China is AI models are easily on par with the US, and have been part of a full-on national strategy (World Economic Forum). While the EU is still stuck arguing in circles and the US sues itself, China is feeding the machine and running up the scoreboard.

5. So What Can You Do?

• If you want to be seen, you need to be in the model. Visibility is currency now.
• Don’t just hand over your stuff-find ways to use AI to amplify your own reach. Tools exist, but you have to experiment.
• Build your own direct audience-but don’t fool yourself: direct-only is a slow grind unless you’re already established.
• Collaborate, remix, put your work out where it will get picked up. It’s the only way to stay relevant.
• Monitor how your work is used-demand credit and payout when you can, but don’t expect to win by hiding from the system.

6. Let’s Talk About Money
Let’s be honest: the compensation models for creators are already broken, and everyone knows it. The platforms and algorithms deciding who gets paid are the same ones deciding who gets seen. That’s a different beast entirely, and one I’ll tackle in my next note.

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Bottom Line:
If you “opt out” of AI, you’re not fighting for your rights-you’re erasing yourself from the map. Unless you’ve got superstar name recognition (which lasts about 6 months these days), the next era of discovery doesn’t care about what’s fair. It cares about what’s in the feed.

You don’t have to like the rules, but pretending they don’t apply is a good way to disappear.