Meta Accused of Using “Pirated” Books to Train AI

A new legal scandal is unfolding in the US over the use of generative AI. A group of authors, including renowned writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and comedian Sarah Silverman, accuse Meta of copyright infringement. They claim the company used “pirated” versions of books to train its artificial intelligence models, particularly Llama.

According to court documents, Meta allegedly used the LibGen database, known as the “shadow library,” despite internal warnings about its illegal status. Using such content could complicate Meta’s negotiations with regulators, as it raises concerns about compliance with copyright law.

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Last year, a federal court in New York ordered the anonymous operators of LibGen to pay $30 million in damages to a group of publishers for copyright infringement. The use of such content to train AI models has become the subject of legal disputes, as creative professionals and publishers see it as a threat to their business models.

Although Judge Vince Chhabria previously dismissed part of the authors’ claims, they now intend to file an amended complaint, adding new allegations of computer fraud. Meta has not yet provided an official comment on the matter.