George Martin and Other Authors Sue OpenAI Over Copyright

George Martin and a group of other renowned science fiction writers have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. More than 15 claimants allege that their copyrighted works were used for artificial intelligence training without their permission. Joining the lawsuit are notable authors such as John Grisham, Michael Connelly, and Jodi Picoult, as reported by Deadline.

In their lawsuit, the authors assert that OpenAI copied their works without permission. The plaintiffs argue that the company used their creations to develop large language models and algorithms that provide text-based responses to user queries, mimicking human language.

"Generative artificial intelligence is a vast new frontier for content creators in Silicon Valley. Authors should have the right to decide when their works are used for AI 'training.' If they choose to consent, they should receive appropriate compensation," stated author Jonathan Franzen.

According to the lawsuit, after submitting a request to ChatGPT, OpenAI accurately reproduced short excerpts from Grisham's works such as "The Chamber," "The Client," and "The Firm." OpenAI also crafted a detailed outline for the next part of "The King of Torts," which included a piece titled "The Kingdom of Consequences," featuring characters from Grisham's original book. ChatGPT performed similar actions with "The Last Juror" and provided precise excerpts from "The Runaway Jury" by Grisham. The plaintiffs emphasize that this would have been impossible without prior training on their works.

The authors of the lawsuit demand a court injunction against the use of their works in large language models without their permission and seek compensation for damages. This lawsuit falls in line with similar cases where authors are defending their copyright rights. In July of the previous year, Sarah Silverman and two other authors filed complaints against OpenAI and Meta for copyright infringement.

"We agree that the unauthorized use of literary works by artificial intelligence developers raises serious legal questions that cannot simply be dismissed as 'innovation.' Innovative for whom? At what cost? Under what rules? We will closely monitor the lawsuit," said Lawrence Hart, chief counsel for the Association of American Publishers.

However, not all renowned authors are against AI learning from their works. Stephen King, for instance, previously stated:

"I look at this opportunity with some creepy fascination. Would I forbid my (if that's the term) stories to computers? No, even if I could. With the same success, I could be King Canute, trying to stop the tide from wetting his feet. Or Luddite, trying to halt industrial progress by smashing a power loom."

King also mentioned that he does not feel like someone is encroaching on his territory and that it does not bother him.