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Salesforce faces lawsuit from authors over AI model training data

Salesforce (CRM) is facing a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of using copyrighted books without permission to train its xGen artificial intelligence models. The complaint, filed Wednesday in a U.S. court, was brought by authors Molly Tanzer and Jennifer Gilmore, who allege that the cloud-computing firm infringed their copyrights by using their works to develop language-processing AI.

The lawsuit claims Salesforce used “thousands of pirated books” written by the plaintiffs and other authors to train its AI systems, echoing similar suits filed against other tech giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta over the use of copyrighted material in AI training datasets.

“It’s important that companies that use copyrighted material for AI products are transparent,” said Joseph Saveri, the authors’ attorney, who has led several high-profile copyright cases against AI companies. “Our clients deserve fair compensation when their creative work is used.”

Salesforce has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In an ironic twist, the complaint notes that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has previously criticized other AI firms for using “stolen” training data, arguing that compensating creators would be “very easy to do.” The lawsuit quotes that statement, suggesting Salesforce failed to follow its own advice.

The case adds to a growing list of legal battles testing how intellectual property laws apply in the age of AI model training, with potentially wide-ranging implications for the industry.

OpenAI Appeals Court Order on Data Preservation in NYT Copyright Lawsuit

OpenAI has appealed a recent court order requiring it to indefinitely preserve ChatGPT output data in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times (NYT). The company argues that the order conflicts with its obligations to protect user privacy.

Last month, the court mandated that OpenAI must preserve and segregate all output log data, after the NYT requested this as part of the discovery process. In response, OpenAI filed a motion on June 3 to vacate the data preservation order, according to a court filing.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly criticized the order on X, stating, “We will fight any demand that compromises our users’ privacy; this is a core principle.” He added that the NYT’s request was “inappropriate” and “sets a bad precedent.”

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, accuses OpenAI and its partner Microsoft of using millions of NYT articles without permission to train their language models, including the one powering ChatGPT. The Times alleges that this constitutes copyright infringement.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein previously ruled that the Times had made a plausible case that OpenAI and Microsoft may have induced users to infringe on its copyrights. In an earlier opinion, the judge allowed the case to proceed, citing numerous and widely publicized instances where ChatGPT reproduced substantial portions of Times content.

While the NYT declined to comment on OpenAI’s appeal, the case remains one of the highest-profile legal challenges facing generative AI companies over training data use and copyright infringement claims.

French Publishers and Authors Sue Meta for Alleged Copyright Infringement in AI Training

France’s leading publishing and authors’ associations have filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing the U.S. tech giant of using copyrighted content without permission to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The lawsuit was filed earlier this week in a Paris court, with the plaintiffs alleging copyright infringement and economic “parasitism.”

The groups behind the lawsuit include the National Publishing Union (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC), and the Society of Men of Letters (SGDL), which represent authors and publishers in France. They argue that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been illegally using copyright-protected material to enhance its AI models.

Maia Bensimon, general delegate of SNAC, described the actions as a form of “monumental looting.” Renaud Lefebvre, Director General of SNE, referred to the lawsuit as “David versus Goliath,” emphasizing that the legal action aims to set a precedent for the protection of copyright in the face of rapidly advancing AI technologies.

This lawsuit marks the first of its kind in France against an AI giant, though similar legal actions are already underway in other countries, particularly in the United States. In 2023, Sarah Silverman, an American actress and author, along with other plaintiffs, sued Meta for allegedly misusing their works to train its Llama language model. Other authors, including Christopher Farnsworth, have also filed lawsuits against Meta for similar claims.

In addition to Meta, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, faces similar copyright lawsuits in the United States, Canada, and India over the data used to train its generative AI systems.