Sarah Silverman and two other authors have filed class-action lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta, alleging that the companies’ artificial intelligence software programs have infringed on their copyrighted works. This legal action highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the boundaries of emerging AI technology and its potential infringement on copyrighted materials. The issue was recently discussed during a congressional hearing featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
In the lawsuit, Silverman, Christopher Golden, and Richard Kadrey claim that OpenAI’s ChatGPT relies on their works for its training dataset without their consent. They argue that their copyrighted works were “ingested and used to train ChatGPT.” The lawsuit further states that when prompted, ChatGPT generates summaries of the plaintiffs’ copyrighted works, indicating that it was trained on their materials.
The lawsuit specifically accuses OpenAI of copying Silverman’s book “The Bedwetter,” Golden’s “Ararat,” and Kadrey’s “Sandman Slime.” It asserts that OpenAI’s language models cannot function without the information contained in these books and that the models themselves are “infringing derivative works.” The lawsuit provides examples of OpenAI outputs when users ask the system to summarize the books.
In a related lawsuit against Meta, the authors claim that the company used their works for its LLaMA language models, emphasizing that the decisions regarding the inclusion of textual information in the training dataset were deliberate and significant choices.
Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in San Francisco. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status, as well as statutory and other damages, along with injunctive relief.
The legal action taken by Silverman, Golden, and Kadrey raises important questions about the use of copyrighted materials in AI training datasets. As AI technology continues to advance, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and regulations to protect the rights of authors and creators.
What are the implications of the class-action lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta on the future development and regulation of AI technology
Sarah Silverman, Christopher Golden, and Richard Kadrey have filed class-action lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta, alleging that the companies’ artificial intelligence (AI) software programs have violated their copyrighted works. This legal action brings attention to the ongoing debate surrounding the boundaries of emerging AI technology and its potential infringement on copyrighted materials. The issue was recently discussed during a congressional hearing featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The lawsuit specifically targets OpenAI’s ChatGPT, claiming that it utilized the authors’ works without their consent in its training dataset. According to Silverman, Golden, and Kadrey, their copyrighted works were “ingested and used to train ChatGPT.” The lawsuit further contends that when prompted, ChatGPT generates summaries of the plaintiffs’ copyrighted works, indicating that it relies on their materials for training.
In this lawsuit, OpenAI is accused of copying Silverman’s book “The Bedwetter,” Golden’s “Ararat,” and Kadrey’s “Sandman Slime.” The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI’s language models cannot function without the information contained in these books and thereby constitute “infringing derivative works.” To support their claim, the lawsuit provides examples of OpenAI outputs that summarize the books when users request it.
In a separate lawsuit against Meta, the authors argue that the company used their works for its LLaMA language models, highlighting deliberate and significant decisions regarding the inclusion of textual information in the training dataset.
Both lawsuits have been filed in federal court in San Francisco, with the plaintiffs seeking class-action status, as well as statutory and other damages, along with injunctive relief.
Silverman, Golden, and Kadrey’s legal action raises important questions regarding the use of copyrighted materials in AI training datasets. As AI technology continues to advance, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and regulations to protect the rights of authors and creators.
It’s disheartening to see the advancements of AI technology resulting in these class-action lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta. Copyright infringement accusations by prominent authors further complicate the discussion around intellectual property in the digital age. It’s important for all parties to find a balanced solution that respects the creative rights of authors while promoting innovation in AI.