George R.R. Martin, Jodi Picoult and more sue OpenAI: 'Systematic theft on a mass scale'

A group of 17 authors, including George R.R. Martin, Jodi Picoult, and John Grisham, have taken legal action against OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement and accusing the ChatGPT program of engaging in "systematic theft on a mass scale." This lawsuit, organized by the Authors Guild, also involves authors such as David Baldacci, Sylvia Day, Jonathan Franzen, and Elin Hilderbrand. The authors claim that AI programs like ChatGPT are using their copyrighted works without permission and pose a significant threat to the literary culture.

Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, emphasized the importance of stopping this alleged theft to protect literature and ensure that authors have control over how their works are used by generative AI. The lawsuit provides specific examples of alleged copyright infringement, such as ChatGPT generating unauthorized outlines for prequels to George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

OpenAI has faced similar legal challenges in the past, with authors like Michael Chabon and David Henry Hwang suing the organization for alleged intellectual property infringement. OpenAI has argued that these claims do not consider the limitations and exceptions, including fair use, that allow for innovations in artificial intelligence.

The Authors Guild's legal action against OpenAI reflects a broader trend of authors raising concerns about the use of AI-generated content without proper authorization. Amazon.com has responded by changing its policies on e-books, requiring authors using its Kindle Direct Program to notify the company in advance if they include AI-generated material and imposing limits on the number of self-published AI texts.