Authors Sue Anthropic Over Alleged Copyright Infringement in AI Training

A group of authors has filed a lawsuit against the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, claiming that the company engaged in “large-scale theft” by using pirated copies of copyrighted books to train its chatbot, Claude. This lawsuit, lodged in a federal court in San Francisco, marks the first instance of writers targeting Anthropic, which has positioned itself as a responsible developer of generative AI. The authors argue that Anthropic's practices contradict its stated commitment to ethical AI development, alleging that the company profits from the unauthorized use of their creative works. The lawsuit was initiated by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, who seek to represent a broader class of authors affected by similar practices. While this is the first case from book authors against Anthropic, the company is also facing legal challenges from music publishers who claim that Claude reproduces copyrighted song lyrics. This case adds to a growing list of lawsuits against AI developers, including OpenAI, which is already embroiled in copyright infringement cases led by prominent authors and media organizations. The central issue in these legal battles is the allegation that tech companies have utilized vast amounts of copyrighted material to train AI models without obtaining permission or compensating the original creators. The authors' lawsuit highlights the distinction between human learning and AI training, emphasizing that human learners typically acquire lawful copies of works, thereby providing compensation to the creators. In response to these allegations, Anthropic and other tech firms maintain that their training practices fall under the “fair use” doctrine, which permits limited use of copyrighted materials for purposes such as research and education. However, the ongoing legal disputes reflect a growing concern among creators regarding the ethical implications of generative AI technologies.