OpenAI, the tech giant behind the language model chatbot ChatGPT, has found itself in the crosshairs of a legal battle. Leading the charge is none other than George R.R. Martin, the mastermind behind the acclaimed Song of Ice and Fire series - adapted to TV as Game of Thrones - and John Grisham, a name synonymous with legal thrillers.
The Authors Guild, 17 distinguished authors strong including the likes of Jonathan Franzen, Jodi Picoult, Michael Connelly, and even the President of the Authors Guild, Scott Turow, have filed a lawsuit in New York's Southern District.
The bone of contention? Allegations that OpenAI used their copyrighted works to train its AI models without permission. The lawsuit paints a grim picture, suggesting that OpenAI's actions could lead to the "engine of their own destruction" for these authors.
The complaint delves deep, accusing OpenAI of "systematic theft on a mass scale". The Guild's argument hinges on the idea that these large language models (LLMs) can churn out derivative works, essentially mimicking or paraphrasing their original content.