Microsoft, OpenAI hit with new lawsuit by authors over AI training

A new legal hurdle confronts OpenAI and Microsoft, the masterminds behind ChatGPT – an in-demand chatbot. Nonfiction writers Nicholas Basbanes and Nicholas Gage have recently filed a class-action lawsuit at Manhattan federal court accusing these companies of copyright infringement. They claim that portions from their books were used without permission to train the AI model which powers not only ChatGPT but also other services.

Basbanes and Gage maintain that OpenAI’s “GPT large language model” utilized their efforts without remuneration, significantly contributing to the formation of a billion-dollar industry. Their legal representative Michael Richter labeled this behavior as reprehensible, constituting an infringement upon their intellectual property privileges.

A series of comparable allegations by well-known authors, such as George R.R. Martin and Sarah Silverman, has led to this lawsuit against tech companies for employing their material in AI training programs. Recently, The New York Times took legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft over accusations that they unlawfully used the work of its journalists for artificial intelligence (AI) education purposes.

The lawsuit filed against OpenAI and Microsoft currently awaits their response. The case brings to light important considerations regarding copyright safeguards in the era of AI, as massive quantities of textual data are employed to develop intricate algorithms. It remains uncertain whether creators will receive remuneration for using their work in such training endeavors; this legal action has the potentiality to establish a precedent influencing future litigation related to these matters.