In a significant show of unity, over 8,500 authors from various genres including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, have come together to sign an open letter directed towards tech companies responsible for large language models like ChatGPT, Bard, LLaMa, and others. The letter raises concerns about the unauthorized use of their creative works by these artificial intelligence systems without any permission or compensation.
The authors expressed deep distress over the fact that these AI technologies mimic and replicate their language, stories, style, and ideas without proper acknowledgment or remuneration. Their letter highlights the vast repository of copyrighted books, articles, essays, and poetry that serves as the “food” for these AI systems, fueling endless intellectual meals without any acknowledgment of intellectual property rights.
Despite the language models demonstrating the capability to quote and imitate the works of the authors in question, the developers behind these AI systems have not adequately addressed the origin and provenance of these literary works. The authors assert that the tech companies did not seek permission or obtain licenses from publishers, which is considered the preferred and ethical method for using copyrighted material.
The open letter raises questions about the legal and ethical implications of using authors’ works without proper compensation and recognition. It calls on tech companies to engage with authors and the literary community to establish fair and transparent practices to respect copyright and intellectual property rights.
As this issue gains attention and support from a significant number of authors, it puts increasing pressure on AI developers to reassess their approach and prioritize the ethical use of copyrighted material. It remains to be seen how these tech companies will respond to the collective demands of the literary community and whether they will take necessary actions to address the concerns raised in the open letter.
