A group of anonymous individuals has filed a massive lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of the popular chatbot program ChatGPT, accusing the company of violating privacy laws and engaging in what they consider to be theft of personal information. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, claims that OpenAI has secretly collected over 300 billion words from various sources without users’ consent, including books, articles, websites, and posts. The plaintiffs argue that this massive collection of data includes personal information and poses a risk of civilizational collapse.
The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other products have been trained on private data taken from millions of unsuspecting internet users, including children. The plaintiffs have also named Microsoft Corp. as a defendant in the lawsuit, as the company reportedly plans to invest $13 billion in OpenAI.
Represented by the Clarkson Law Firm, the plaintiffs are seeking $3 billion in potential damages, claiming that millions of individuals may have been harmed by OpenAI’s actions. The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of running a covert web-scraping operation that violates terms of service agreements, as well as state and federal privacy and property laws, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The lawsuit outlines various claims, including invasion of privacy, larceny, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The plaintiffs also allege that OpenAI misappropriated personal data to gain an advantage in an AI arms race. They state that OpenAI collected data from individuals’ interactions with its products and other applications that integrated ChatGPT, including images, locations from Snapchat, music preferences on Spotify, financial information from Stripe, and private conversations on Slack and Microsoft Teams.
OpenAI, a prominent player in the AI industry, is accused of deviating from its founding principle of advancing AI for the benefit of humanity as a whole. The plaintiffs argue that ChatGPT’s projected revenue for 2023 is $200 million, emphasizing the pursuit of profits over the company’s mission.
So far, OpenAI and Microsoft have not responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit. The legal action comes at a time when generative AI applications, like ChatGPT, are being scrutinized for their impact on privacy and the spread of misinformation. Congress is currently examining the advantages and risks of AI, as these technologies raise concerns about the future of creative industries and the need to distinguish fact from fiction.
In addition to seeking monetary damages, the plaintiffs are requesting a temporary halt on commercial access and further development of OpenAI’s products. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the AI industry, and all eyes will be on the court’s decision.
