Almost everyone has certainly heard of the phrase "money laundering," but probably few people know what it is and what data laundering involves.

Simply put, data laundering involves "transforming" data (e.g., stolen or obtained for legitimate purposes) so that it can then be used or sold for some other purpose, through ostensibly legitimate databases. This can include not only images or text, but also video files, programs, etc. For example, ZDNet describes this process as "obscuring, removing, or fabricating the provenance of illegally obtained data so that it can be used for lawful purposes" ("obscuring, removing, or fabricating the provenance of illegally obtained data such that it may be used for lawful purposes"; O'Neill, Rob. "Cybercriminals boost sales through 'data laundering' ." ZDNet. Retrieved May 4, 2017.)

This is undoubtedly an increasingly frequent and widespread phenomenon, intensifying even more in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and its products. Applications and tools (including those created by Google, such as DreamBooth) are already being developed that utilize and "process" entered text, for example, into an image (but it is also possible to "convert" entered text, for example, into a video). Given that algorithms are constantly "learning" and training, their "creative" capabilities, based on the collections and multimedia databases they utilize, are virtually limitless. Any user of these programs can therefore imitate or copy any style of real creators and artists, precisely by using AI trained in this way. It is worth emphasizing, however, that the responsibility for using and publishing the "products" of AI obtained in this way still rests with the user. However, there are still no clear legal regulations, case law, or rulings that would organize and define the framework in this regard.

This alert is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Natalia Serwińska-Deles

Legal Counsel
+48 22 856 36 60 | n.serwinska@kglegal.pl