Hello, tech friends! Today, we’re diving into how Creative Commons is stepping up for the AI era with a new project called CC signals, designed to balance openness and data sharing.

Creative Commons, the organization behind the popular licensing system for creative works, is now gearing up for the age of AI. They announced CC signals, a framework that lets dataset holders specify how their content can be reused by machines for AI training. It’s all about keeping the web open while supporting AI development.

The idea is to prevent the internet from becoming locked behind paywalls or walled gardens. Instead, CC signals aim to provide legal and technical tools to facilitate the ethical sharing of data between data owners and AI trainers. This is especially relevant as companies are changing policies around AI data usage, like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Cloudflare, all exploring ways to control or monetize AI data scraping.

Furthermore, open source developers are creating tools to slow down unauthorized AI crawlers, but CC signals propose a balanced legal framework—much like their licenses for creative works—that promotes responsible data sharing for AI. Early designs of CC signals can be found on their website and GitHub, with plans for an alpha release in November 2025.

Creative Commons CEO Anna Tumadóttir emphasizes that CC signals are meant to sustain the digital commons. She notes, “Just as CC licenses helped build the open web, CC signals will shape an open AI ecosystem grounded in reciprocity.” The project is still evolving, with public input actively encouraged through town halls and feedback sessions.