George R.R. Martin Among 17 Authors Suing OpenAI for Copyright Infringement

Seventeen authors, including George R. R. Martin, and the Authors Guild are suing OpenAI for copyright infringement. The fantasy novelist behind the Game of Thrones series and FromSoftware's Elden Ring joins the likes of John Grisham, Guild President Scott Turow, and Jodi Picoult in filing the complaint.

The initial complaint, which the group of authors filed in New York's Southern District, claims that OpenAI copied the authors' work by using it to train its AI tools like ChatGPT without permission. This group of lauded fiction writers isn't the first to sue OpenAI and other AI-focused businesses.

The statement does not mince words, claiming large language models (known as LLMs) can, " spit out derivative works: material that is based on, mimics, summarizes, or paraphrases Plaintiffs’ works, and harms the market for them." It goes on to state that AI companies wouldn't have functional models without these authors' work, and LLMs effectively turn authors' own work against them, becoming, "engines of their own destruction."

AI tools like Chat GPT and Dall-E have been lightning rods for controversy and legal issues since they first rose to prominence. But, because these sorts of tools are still relatively new, there's very little legal precedent for courts to work with. However, a judge's ruling on a copyright-based AI lawsuit from last month may point to the future of this and other, similar filings.

On August 14, District Judge Beryl Howell upheld a U.S. Copyright Office finding that AI art could not be copyrighted. This finding dates back to 2018, when the Copyright Office claimed that, "the nexus between the human mind and creative expression" is critical to the grounds of copyright protection. While this ruling deals in different specifics regarding AI and copyright law, New York's Southern District has already been known to take action against AI in previous, non-copyright-related instances, indicating a potentially bright future for Martin & co.

Other parties involved in adjacent, creative-driven industries such as screenwriters, actors, voice actors, comedians, musical artists, and journalists have also criticized AI-driven tools based on similar criteria. In fact, AI is a driving factor in the ongoing Writers' Guild and Actors' Guild strikes in Hollywood. It's also at the center of a handful of similar lawsuits issued by the likes of Sarah Silverman. Others, like Ice Cube and Tom Brady, have publicly threatened suits as well.

You can find a PDF of the 47-page statement, as issued by 17 writers and the Authors Guild, here.

Update 3:27pm PT: OpenAI has responded to IGN's request for comment on this story with the following statement:

Creative professionals around the world use ChatGPT as a part of their creative process. We respect the rights of writers and authors, and believe they should benefit from AI technology. We’re having productive conversations with many creators around the world, including the Authors Guild, and have been working cooperatively to understand and discuss their concerns about AI. We’re optimistic we will continue to find mutually beneficial ways to work together to help people utilize new technology in a rich content ecosystem.