OpenAI and Microsoft Sued Over Alleged Misuse of Authors' Works to Train AI Models
Summary:
OpenAI and Microsoft face a lawsuit from author Julian Sancton, accusing them of unauthorized use of nonfiction books, including his own, to train AI models. The legal action, which also involves Microsoft as a co-defendant, focuses on the tech companies' unlicensed use of copyrighted works for model training and development. The lawsuit follows Microsoft's controversial hiring of Sam Altman for its AI research team after his departure from OpenAI. Microsoft, despite releasing GPT-integrated products, has largely avoided scrutiny in past copyright cases. Sancton seeks an unconfirmed amount in damages and a court injunction against further alleged copyright violations.
OpenAI and Microsoft have been hit with a lawsuit, accusing them of unauthorized use of authors' works to train AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT service. The accusations were raised by writer and journalist Julian Sancton on November 21. The claim suggests that OpenAI used tens of thousands of nonfiction titles to educate its broad language models on responding to human text input, as supported by Sancton, the author and editor at the Hollywood Reporter, who instigated a prospective class action in a federal court in Manhattan. This case is part of a series of legal battles launched by copyright holders, such as writers John Grisham, George R.R. Martin, and Jonathan Franzen, against OpenAI and various tech companies over the alleged unauthorized use of their works for AI training. These tech firms have denied such allegations. A screenshot of the lawsuit was provided courtesy of The CourtListener.
The lawsuit, filed at a New York federal court, underlines the crucial role played by Microsoft in creating unlicensed replicas of authors' works for AI training and the creation of GPT-based technology. Sancton charges Microsoft with knowing about OpenAI's wide-scale internet trawling for copyrighted content. The court action follows Microsoft's unexpected recruitment of Sam Altman to lead its AI research team after his departure from OpenAI. In a shocking reversal on November 22, OpenAI revealed a new deal that would see Altman resuming his role as CEO, with the news confirmed via an official X (formerly Twitter) account post.
While OpenAI is already dealing with multiple copyright infringement lawsuits, Microsoft has been largely overlooked despite releasing numerous products that incorporate GPT. Sancton's litigation marks the first occasion an author has taken legal action against OpenAI and named Microsoft as a co-defendant. Given its significant investments in the AI startup, Microsoft has seamlessly integrated OpenAI’s technology into its product line.
According to Sancton's lawsuit, OpenAI used nonfiction books, including his own "Madhouse at the End of the Earth," to train its GPT large language models. The claim implicates Microsoft's significant role in developing these models, thereby making the company liable for copyright infringement. Sancton is now seeking yet-to-be-determined compensation and a court injunction to stop the alleged infringements.
Published At
11/22/2023 11:08:06 AM
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