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Rabat – Renowned American novelist George R.R. Martin, author of the original novels for Game of Thrones, is among 17 literary figures suing OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement by its AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT.
Organized by the Authors Guild, the lawsuit alleges “systematic theft on a mass scale” regarding the usage of copyrighted works through OpenAI’s ChatGPT program, the Associated Press reported.
Filed in a federal court in New York, the complaint accuses ChatGPT of “flagrant and harmful infringements” of registered copyrights, referring to it as a “massive commercial enterprise” reliant upon unauthorized usage of literary works.
Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger emphasized the need to put an end to this perceived theft to preserve literary culture and protect authors’ rights over their creations.
“Great books are generally written by those who spend their careers and, indeed, their lives, learning and perfecting their crafts. To preserve our literature, authors must have the ability to control if and how their works are used by generative AI,” Rasenberger said.
The lawsuit provided specific instances of alleged copyright infringement, including a ChatGPT-generated outline for a prequel to Martin’s renowned “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, titled “A Dawn of Direwolves,” using characters from Martin’s existing books.
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The authors argued that the program’s AI-generated content breaches their exclusive rights and harms the creative industry.
OpenAI responded on Wednesday, expressing its respect for writers’ rights and willingness to cooperate, stating they are engaging in “productive conversations” with creators globally, including the Authors Guild.
The company underscored their commitment to finding mutually beneficial solutions to allow authors to benefit from AI technology while respecting copyright.
“We’re optimistic we will continue to find mutually beneficial ways to work together to help people utilize new technology in a rich content ecosystem,” OpenAI said.
The lawsuit follows a recent trend of authors taking legal action against OpenAI, reflecting wider concerns within the literary and art communities regarding the usage of AI-generated content without permission.
