Author George R.R. Martin, known for creating the popular fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which inspired the TV series “Game of Thrones,” is part of a group of 17 writers who are suing OpenAI, the developer of the AI system ChatGPT.
These authors, including David Baldacci, Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and others, filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Manhattan, New York. They accuse OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, of engaging in “systemic theft on a mass scale.” They claim that OpenAI used their copyrighted content without permission to train its AI models, including ChatGPT.
The lawsuit alleges that the AI program generated an unauthorized and detailed outline for a Game of Thrones prequel called “A Dawn of Direwolves” and even used characters from Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.
Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, stated, “It is imperative that we stop this theft in its tracks or we will destroy our incredible literary culture, which feeds many other creative industries in the US.” She emphasized the importance of authors having control over how their works are used by generative AI.
OpenAI, on the other hand, denied the allegations, stating that it respects the rights of writers and authors. They expressed optimism about finding mutually beneficial ways to collaborate and emphasized that they do not intend to replace creators.
The legal battle between the authors and OpenAI highlights the complex issues surrounding the use of AI in generating content and the need to protect the rights of creators in the digital age.
