A collective of esteemed authors, including Pulitzer Prize laureates Taylor Branch, Stacy Schiff, and Kai Bird, have taken legal action against tech giants OpenAI and Microsoft. The lawsuit, filed in a Manhattan federal court, alleges the unauthorized use of their copyrighted works for the development of advanced AI models.
The authors assert that their nonfiction books were utilized without consent, forming the training ground for the popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, among other software. This, they claim, has resulted in substantial profits for the companies involved, profits from which the authors have not benefited.
Julian Sancton, a writer and editor, spearheaded the proposed class-action lawsuit last month, marking a new chapter in copyright disputes involving AI training practices. The complaint highlights a demand for fair compensation and the cessation of alleged copyright infringements.
While OpenAI and Microsoft have yet to respond to the latest developments, the case underscores a growing concern over the use of copyrighted material in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. It also brings to the forefront the intricate balance between innovation and the rights of content creators.
