Teachers upload copyrighted books to AI tools, writers say

Teachers in Iceland are uploading entire books by local authors to AI tools to create classroom materials or translate works for pupils whose first language is not Icelandic, the Writers’ Association of Iceland says. The practice is occurring daily, according to Margrét Tryggvadóttir, the association’s chair, in an interview with mbl.is.

“There is a severe shortage of teaching materials, and teachers are constantly trying to make do,” Tryggvadóttir said. Last year, writers had to intervene with two schools that had downloaded audiobooks from the Icelandic Audio Book Library and made them available to all pupils on the schools’ internal networks. The schools had removed only the notice limiting the books to library users.

Tryggvadóttir said that, this school year, more teachers have begun uploading entire books by Icelandic authors to AI programs. She called the practice illegal. She also cited cases in which teachers use AI to illustrate teaching materials with copyrighted characters, including Pokémon and the characters from Áslaug Jónsdóttir’s “The Monsters.” Such work, she said, may not be used without permission and payment.

Schools may use part of a work, such as one chapter of a book, but may not reproduce an entire work or alter its context, Tryggvadóttir said. A fund exists to compensate authors for this kind of use.

The Writers’ Association met with the Ministry of Education and Children this summer to discuss possible solutions. Tryggvadóttir said ministry representatives understood the issue but were unsure how to address it.

The association is working with Hagþenkir and the Association of Icelandic Book Publishers on educational materials to send to schools. The materials are expected to coincide with a pamphlet on responsible AI use that the Association of Icelandic Artists plans to publish for Icelandic Language Day next month.