A group of writers, including Theranos whistleblower and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou, has filed a lawsuit against six major AI companies, accusing them of training their models on pirated copies of their books. The lawsuit targets Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and Perplexity, alleging copyright infringement. This move comes after a previous class action suit against Anthropic, which resulted in a settlement of 1.5 billion dollars, but left some authors dissatisfied with the resolution.

The plaintiffs argue that the proposed Anthropic settlement seems to serve the AI companies rather than the creators, allowing them to easily extinguish high-value claims at bargain-basement rates. They claim that LLM (Large Language Model) companies should not be able to use pirated books to train their models, which generate billions of dollars in revenue, without being held accountable for the actual act of copyright infringement. "LLM companies should not be able to so easily extinguish thousands upon thousands of high-value claims at bargain-basement rates, eliding what should be the true cost of their business model," said a spokesperson for the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit highlights the complex issue of copyright infringement in the AI industry. While AI companies rely on vast amounts of data to train their models, including books and other copyrighted materials, the use of pirated copies raises questions about accountability and fair compensation for creators. In the previous case, a judge ruled that it was legal for Anthropic and similar AI companies to train on pirated copies of books, but that it was not legal to pirate the books in the first place. However, the plaintiffs argue that this ruling does not go far enough in holding AI companies accountable for their actions.

The implications of this lawsuit extend beyond the AI industry, raising broader questions about the role of technology in society and the need for accountability in the digital age. As AI continues to play an increasingly important role in our lives, the issue of copyright infringement and fair compensation for creators will only continue to grow in importance. "This lawsuit is not just about the authors who are suing, but about the future of creativity and innovation in the digital age," said a spokesperson for the plaintiffs.

The current status of the lawsuit is that it has been filed in a federal court, and the plaintiffs are seeking damages and injunctive relief. The outcome of the lawsuit will likely have significant implications for the AI industry and the way that companies approach copyright infringement in the future. As the case moves forward, it will be closely watched by industry experts and creators alike, who are eager to see how the courts will address the complex issues at stake.