Thousands of authors have come together to sign an open letter urging AI makers to stop using their works without permission or compensation. Signed by more than 8,500 authors of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, the letter calls out tech companies behind large language models like ChatGPT, Bard, and LLaMa for mimicking and regurgitating their language, stories, style, and ideas. The authors argue that AI systems utilize their copyrighted books, articles, essays, and poetry as food without paying for it. This practice not only threatens the authors’ profession but also floods the market with mediocre, machine-written works that are derived from their own creations.
Despite AI systems being capable of quoting and imitating specific authors, the developers have not adequately addressed the origin of the works. The authors question whether the systems are trained on scraped samples from bookstores and reviews, downloaded from illegal archives like Libgen, or obtained through proper licensing from publishers. They highlight that the recent Supreme Court decision in Warhol v. Goldsmith emphasizes the non-fair use of high commerciality in AI’s utilization of copyrighted works. The authors argue that generative AI poses a significant threat to their livelihoods, especially for newer and underrepresented voices, as fewer authors can make a living writing due to the complexities and narrow margins of large-scale publishing.
The open letter outlines three requests for the AI companies: first, to obtain permission for the use of copyrighted material in their generative AI programs; second, to compensate writers fairly for both past and ongoing use of their works; and third, to compensate writers fairly for the use of their works in AI output, regardless of whether it infringes upon current laws. The authors do not make any legal threats in the letter, as lawsuits are time-consuming and costly. Instead, they hope to raise awareness about the harmful impact of AI on authors and prompt the companies to take responsibility for their actions.
The letter’s signatories include Mary Rasenberger, CEO of The Author’s Guild, who states that lawsuits are not the primary focus due to the financial and time-intensive nature of legal battles. Instead, the authors aim to draw attention to the immediate harm caused by AI’s utilization of their works.
While it remains uncertain which company will be the first to acknowledge and address the issue, the lack of incentive to do so poses significant challenges for the authors. Many people are unaware that large language models may contain and reproduce copyrighted works, making it more difficult to rally support. However, authors are prepared to fight against the unauthorized use of their creations and advocate for fair compensation and respect for their profession.
