By: Alec Winshel<\/p>\n
Last month, Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for infringement of their works. The complaint is another in a series of cases filed by\u00a0Matthew Butterick\u00a0<\/a>and the\u00a0Joseph Saveri Law Firm<\/a>\u00a0that mount legal challenges against companies developing AI-powered large language models. These models, often referred to as LLMs, are\u00a0algorithms that utilize artificial intelligence and massive datasets<\/a>\u00a0to generate natural-sounding text in response to prompts. ChatGPT, owned by defendant OpenAI, is the most popular LLM, which now tallies\u00a0more than 100M users<\/a>. OpenAI feeds on enormous datasets to develop its capabilities. Awad and Tremblay don\u2019t want to be part of the feeding frenzy.<\/p>\n Each plaintiff is a best-selling author of multiple novels. Mona Awad is the\u00a0author of\u00a0Bunny<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a013 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl<\/em><\/a>. Paul Tremblay\u00a0authored\u00a0The Cabin at the End of the World<\/em><\/a>, which was recently adapted by M. Night Shyamalan into the 2023 film\u00a0Knock at the Cabin<\/em>.<\/p>\n Trembley and Awad\u2019s complaint accuses OpenAI of ingesting their novels into its product, ChatGPT, without permission. The\u00a0complaint<\/a>\u00a0alleges that ChatGPT is capable of generating summaries of their copyrighted works, which suggests that the software\u2019s training data included their books. Plaintiffs allege that the training occurred \u201cwithout consent, without credit, and without compensation.\u201d The complaint was filed as a class action on behalf of the authors and states that \u201cthere are at least thousands of members in the Class\u201d who have suffered similar injuries in the United States. Claims include direct and vicarious copyright infringement, violations of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, unfair competition under California law, and negligence.<\/p>\n This lawsuit is one of many recent legal actions challenging the expansion of AI. On July 7, the same legal team filed a second\u00a0class-action lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0on behalf of three more authors, including comedian\u00a0Sarah Silverman<\/a>. Both complaints\u00a0make similar allegations<\/a>. In January, the team also filed a\u00a0complaint against a different generative AI company<\/a>, Stable Diffusion, for its alleged use of copyrighted\u00a0images<\/em>\u00a0in the training dataset for its own LLM. The\u00a0Clarkson Law Firm<\/a>, a self-described public interest firm, recently filed a\u00a0broader complaint against OpenAI that lists anonymous plaintiffs<\/a>\u00a0and seeks a halt on development of ChatGPT until the dangers of AI are more readily understood.<\/p>\n Legal battles are poised to dictate the future of generative AI. ChatGPT and similar products can only provide their users with book summaries, how-to guides, and personalized playlists by scouring the Internet and its treasure trove of existing data. Companies like OpenAI are likely to lean into the Internet\u2019s longtime ethos: all information is for everyone. Safeguarding works only deprives people of access. But, authors adopt a different stance. Copyright protects creative expression by ensuring that authors profit from their endeavors. Will fewer consumers purchase Awad\u2019s novels because they can access a free summary on ChatGPT? Does Tremblay deserve payment when ChatGPT\u2019s naturalistic style of \u2018speaking\u2019 is marginally improved by scanning his prose?<\/p>\n