On this episode of The Media Copilot, Pete Pachal sits down with Trip Adler, cofounder of Scribd and founder of Created by Humans, for a groundbreaking conversation about copyright, compensation, and the collision of content with generative AI.
Trip was ahead of the curve when he launched Scribd in 2007 to democratize access to documents and books online. But in 2024, he saw another collision coming.—this time between generative AI models and the human creators whose work was quietly being ingested without consent or compensation.
His solution? Created by Humans, a startup building a new licensing infrastructure for AI rights, starting with books but designed to scale to all creative content. The goal: ensure that when AI learns from a human, the human benefits too.
From defining “AI rights” across training, reference (RAG), and transformation, to drafting what he calls a “fourth law of robotics,” Adler is advocating not just for fairer systems, but for a future where artists, authors, and AI builders can collaborate without cannibalizing each other.
Why This Matters Now
The content and AI legal battleground is heating up. From lawsuits over pirated books to the blurred lines of fair use, creators are demanding clarity, control, and compensation, and companies are scrambling to avoid backlash while still feeding the machine.
But until now, there’s been no standard way to license content for AI training or transformation. Adler’s approach breaks that deadlock with a modular rights model for creators (training, reference, and transformative use) and a platform for AI developers to license content easily and ethically.
The stakes are high. Without frameworks like this, startups won’t innovate, publishers won’t cooperate, and creators will lose out again. But if Created by Humans succeeds, AI could unlock new revenue streams for authors, fresh storytelling formats for readers, and a scalable system for rights compliance that fuels the next generation of media products.
What We Cover
Defining AI Rights
Training, reference (RAG), and transformative use each require their own license, pricing model, and consent mechanism.
Why Books Are Just the Beginning
The effort starts with books, but the ultimate goal is to protect all human created content including music, medical papers, illustrations, and more.
The Fourth Law of Robotics
Inspired by Asimov, this new principle states that AI can learn from humans only if it benefits the human. The five pillars are consent, control, credit, compensation, and continuous learning.
The Value of the Middle Ground
AI does not have to be the enemy of creators. Different uses require different rights structures, including licenses for summaries, chatbots, book to video transformations, and more.
Market Forces Will Set the Price
There is no single answer to what AI training is worth. Over time, direct negotiations between publishers and AI companies may help standardize rates.
Trust Through Infrastructure
Created by Humans is more than a rights broker. It is developing tools for monitoring, enforcement, and analytics so creators can license content with confidence.
A Startup Boom for Books
A new wave of AI companies and indie developers could build innovative experiences using licensed book content, creating new revenue for authors at every step.
In Closing
Trip Adler isn’t trying to stop AI, he’s trying to civilize it. By building the protocols for human AI collaboration now, he hopes to avoid the digital land grab that disrupted journalism and music before it.
As he puts it, this is about more than compliance. It’s about consent. It’s about preserving creativity. And it’s about ensuring that in an AI future, humans still have a seat at the table and a share in the profits.
GUEST:
Trip Adler — Co-Founder of Scribd
Founder of Created by Humans
🔗 createdbyhumans.ai | LinkedIn
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🎧 Produced by Pete Pachal and Executive Producer Michele Musso
🎬 Edited by the Musso Media Team
© 2025 Musso Media. All rights reserved.
🎵 Music: “Favorite” by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under CC BY 4.0
© AnyWho Media 2025
