In a recent legal development, OpenAI and Microsoft are facing a lawsuit, accused of utilizing nonfiction authors’ works without permission to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, including those powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT service.
Allegations of Unauthorized Use
Author and Hollywood Reporter editor Julian Sancton leads the proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, asserting that OpenAI unlawfully copied tens of thousands of nonfiction books to instruct its large language models in generating responses to human text prompts. This lawsuit is part of a broader trend, with groups of copyright owners, including prominent authors like John Grisham, George R.R. Martin, and Jonathan Franzen, filing similar complaints against OpenAI and other tech companies over alleged misuse of their works for AI training. Despite the mounting legal challenges, the companies involved have consistently denied wrongdoing.
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Microsoft’s Involvement in the Legal Fray
Notably, Sancton’s complaint is the first author-led lawsuit against OpenAI that implicates Microsoft as a defendant. Having invested significantly in OpenAI and integrated its systems into its products, Microsoft is now entangled in the legal web surrounding AI training practices.
Silence and Denial
A spokesperson for OpenAI declined to comment on the recent lawsuit, citing the ongoing legal proceedings. Similarly, representatives for Microsoft have yet to respond to requests for comment. The silence from both entities contrasts sharply with the allegations, which claim that while refusing compensation to nonfiction authors, their AI platform’s value has skyrocketed.
The Stolen Foundations of OpenAI
According to Sancton’s attorney, Justin Nelson, the essence of OpenAI’s operation is “nothing less than the rampant theft of copyrighted works.” The lawsuit specifies that OpenAI used nonfiction books, including Sancton’s “Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night,” to train its GPT large language models.
Microsoft’s Alleged Complicity
The legal complaint also contends that Microsoft played a significant role in the training and development the AI models in question, holding the tech giant accountable for copyright infringement.
Legal Demands
Sancton seeks unspecified monetary damages through the lawsuit and requests a court order to halt the alleged infringement, adding a layer of complexity to the ongoing legal battles surrounding AI training methodologies. The outcome of this case may significantly impact the future landscape of AI development and the ethical use of copyrighted materials in the industry.
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