AI in the Wedding Industry: The Legal Conversation No One's Having

Having come back to the wedding and event industry, one thing I have noticed is that there is a lack of discussion around artificial intelligence (AI) and how it could, or is, impacting the industry. Even more so, no one has been around to talk about the legal implications of AI on businesses and of course their clients. 

I sit firmly on the fence when it come to AI. Running a business is hard. Running a viable busy business is harder. I have seen my clients work seven days a week, working events and then spending the rest of the week doing administrative and operational work. The reality is, it is not the creative work that overwhelms us. The pressure comes from the constant stream of decisions, client communication, paperwork juggling and information management. So when we are shown a solution, like an AI program or automation, you should be looking into it as a prospective way to lighten the load. AI can perform literal miracles when it comes to the hundreds of repetitive emails, summaries, handovers, meeting notes, workflows and operational processes. Successful use of AI can be the make or break for the progress of your business. I encourage anything that can be used to lighten the load which would then mean you can go and focus on doing what you do best. So, in this regard, I support AI and I believe, as an industry, we need to further our AI literacy far quicker than what we are now.

However, nothing this good comes for free, am I right? Nothing that is given to us to help make our lives easier comes without risks or barriers. With AI, there are great risks. We now know a lot about AI, but there is still a lot that society does not know. With AI, we are operating in a realm where the end point is yet to be known. If I asked you all whether you have made your intentions clear about AI in your contract, I know that 99% of you would say no. So its time that I raised a few legal concerns with AI. Firstly, we don’t know how protected the data is that we input into the AI program. This means you cannot assure your client that their personal information is safe. Secondly, if you are a content creator, whether it be a photographer, videographer, stylist, florist or anyone producing any kind of visual content, you do not know if your work will go and be run through an AI program, thus you losing control of your intellectual property. Those are just two of many different risks when it comes to AI. You may be not concerned with AI at all, and want to be open in your contract that you do use AI and that you seek consent from your client to use AI. 

When it comes to AI and its use in your business, transparency is the key. That transparency means making it clear in your contract about how your intend to use AI, whether you intend to use it, or whether you wish to inform them that you will heavily protect your intellectual property if they do feed your creative content through an AI program for their benefit. 

I invite you all to begin thinking about AI and how it impacts your business, how you want to approach AI with your clients, and what you may need inserted into your contract to establish boundaries. 

Watch this space in the next seven days. We have a little something for you!