Alright folks, picture this: there’s this chatbot called ChatGPT that’s been making waves in the tech world since November 2022. This bad boy is no ordinary chatbot, it’s a generative AI powerhouse that can respond just like a human. And let me tell ya, it’s only been getting better with time. People are absolutely lovin’ it! They’re using ChatGPT to write essays, do research, compose music, you name it. Heck, this AI tool can even give you a summary of your all-time favorite book. How cool is that?
But here’s the thing, did you ever stop and wonder if those brilliant minds behind the original writings gave permission for their content to be used to train ChatGPT? I’ll bet you didn’t. And that’s exactly what a group of award-winning authors is up in arms about. According to a report by Reuters, these US-based authors, including the likes of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon, have taken OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to federal court in San Francisco. Why, you ask? Well, they’re claiming that their valuable work was used without their permission to train that AI chatbot.
These authors, Chabon, David Henry Hwang, Matthew Klam, Rachel Louise Snyder, and Ayelet Waldman, are arguing that OpenAI copied their writing to teach ChatGPT how to respond to human prompts. They’re sayin’ that their books, plays, and articles are top-notch examples of high-quality, long-form writing, and that OpenAI used ’em for the bot’s training dataset without proper authorization. And get this, ChatGPT can even generate text that mimics their writing style and accurately summarizes their precious books. Can you believe it?
So, what do these authors want in return? Well, they’re demandin’ a ban on OpenAI’s “unfair business practices” and they’re also seeking an unspecified amount of money damages. Hey, can’t say I blame ’em. If someone’s usin’ your work without permission and makin’ money off it, you’d want some compensation too, right?
But that ain’t all, folks. This ain’t the first time OpenAI has found themselves in hot water over copyright infringement. Back in July, the hilarious Sarah Silverman, along with two other authors, made headlines when they sued OpenAI over the very same issue. Silverman, who wrote the book “The Bedwetter,” claimed that ChatGPT was summarizin’ her book’s contents without her consent. And she most certainly did not give OpenAI the green light to use her book in training their chatbot. Two other authors, Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey, also joined the lawsuit, alleging that OpenAI unlawfully used their books’ contents too. They were lookin’ for a jury trial and some major cash damages, folks.
But wait, there’s more! In the same month, over 8,500 authors band together and signed an open letter to tech companies, callin’ ’em out for usin’ their books to train AI tools. Can you blame ’em? These writers from various genres, like poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, argued that generative AI was mimicin’ their language, stories, style, and ideas without their permission. They rightfully pointed out that their work is like the food that AI systems munch on for knowledge, and yet they haven’t received a fair bill for it. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
So folks, there you have it. OpenAI and their ChatGPT have found themselves right in the middle of a legal storm, facin’ allegations of usin’ authors’ work without permission. And while this lawsuit makes waves, the question remains: Should AI developers be more accountable when it comes to respecting the intellectual property rights of talented authors? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
