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The authors have accused OpenAI of “systematic theft on a mass scale,” contending that the AI company has infringed upon their copyrights by using their works to train the ChatGPT language model. Mary Rasenberger, the CEO of the Authors Guild, has expressed urgent concern that such actions could irreparably damage the literary culture that fuels various other creative industries in the United States. She emphasised that to preserve the integrity of literature, authors must have control over how their work is utilised by artificial intelligence.

Specific Cases Highlighted

The lawsuit is packed with specific examples, alleging, for instance, that ChatGPT produced an unauthorised outline for a prequel to George R.R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones.” Another instance cites fans of Martin using ChatGPT to concoct their versions of the long-awaited sequel, “The Winds of Winter,” based on the content that had been trained on Martin’s existing works without permission.

OpenAI’s Counterargument

While OpenAI has yet to respond to this particular suit, it has previously argued in similar cases that its models operate under the “fair use” doctrine. The company maintains that the scope of copyright laws should accommodate room for innovative technologies like large language models.

Amazon Changes its Policies

Amidst the increasing controversy, Amazon, the country’s largest book retailer, has already begun to adapt its policies. It is now asking authors who wish to publish via its Kindle Direct Program to indicate if they are incorporating AI-generated material. Additionally, it has imposed a limitation on the number of new self-published books that can be listed per day.

The Fight Ahead

Maya Shanbhag Lang, the president of the Authors Guild, stated that this lawsuit is merely the beginning of a broader battle to defend authors from unauthorised exploitation by generative AI technology. With similar suits pending against other tech giants, including Meta Platforms and Stability AI, it is clear that the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law is headed for unprecedented scrutiny in the courts.

This lawsuit raises pivotal questions for the future of AI, copyright law, and the creative industries, and it may set significant precedents for how intellectual property is treated in the age of machine learning.

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