Why Comedian Sarah Silverman is Suing OpenAI Over Copyright Infringement
Comedian Sarah Silverman is taking legal action against OpenAI, the company responsible for creating the popular AI chatbot known as ChatGPT. Silverman, along with two other authors, has filed a lawsuit claiming that ChatGPT infringes upon the copyright of their works.
According to court documents obtained by Insider, the plaintiffs argue that ChatGPT produces summaries of their books without their consent when prompted by users. This, they say, constitutes copyright infringement as they did not authorize their works to be fed to the AI chatbot.
ChatGPT is a generative AI model trained on a vast amount of information from various sources, including websites, news articles, and books. It has the ability to provide human-like responses and engage in conversations.
Silverman and the other plaintiffs claim that OpenAI benefits commercially from their copyrighted works, as well as numerous other copyrighted materials. They are seeking a jury trial and damages, including statutory compensation.
OpenAI has yet to respond to Insider’s request for comment. It is worth noting that the lawsuit specifically targets Silverman’s book, The Bedwetter, a memoir owned by the actress and comedian and protected by copyright. The other two plaintiffs are writer Christopher Golden, known for his supernatural thriller Ararat, and writer Richard Kadrey, who has copyrighted works in the dark urban fantasy genre, such as Sandman Slim.
While the exact books used to train ChatGPT have not been disclosed by OpenAI, the court documents suggest that they may include content from shadow library websites that illegally aggregate inaccessible material.
Daniel Gervais, a law professor at Vanderbilt University, predicts an increase in copyright-related lawsuits involving generative AI in the future. In June, the Authors Guild, a US-based advocacy group supporting writer’s rights, issued an open letter calling on Big Tech and AI companies to obtain proper permission and fairly compensate writers for the use of their copyrighted work in training such AI programs.
As copyright issues in the realm of AI continue to be challenged, it remains to be seen how courts will grapple with the complexities of this evolving field. However, this lawsuit serves as a reminder that the rights of creators must be respected and protected in the era of advanced technology.
