AI companies appropriate 139,000 TV, film scripts to train AI systems

Over 139,000 television and film scripts were used to train artificial intelligence systems without the consent of their creators, a media investigation revealed, sparking outrage among writers and creatives concerned about the potential loss of their jobs to the technology. What happened A dataset compiled from subtitles sourced from OpenSubtitles.org has been used by high-profile companies , including Anthropic, Apple, Bloomberg, Meta, Nvidia and Salesforce , to train their AI models, according to The Atlantic writer and programmer Alex Reisner. The dataset includes scripts from popular shows and films such as The Sopranos , Breaking Bad and The Simpsons , as well as works by writers such as Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy. Writers expressed shock that their work had been appropriated without acknowledgement or permission and voiced concern about the implications for their intellectual property rights. Why it happened The unathorised use of these scripts to help develop AI systems raises significant legal and ethical questions regarding copyright and fair use. The current legal landscape around AI-generated content remains murky, with many developers claiming that their data is sourced from "open" materials. However, this justification is increasingly under challenge by content creators and owners who argue that their works are being exploited without compensation or acknowledgment. What it means The discovery underscores ongoing tensions between technology companies and the rights of content creators. Writers fear that such practices may undermine their livelihoods as AI systems become capable of generating content similar to human-created works, compete directly with them and put them out of business. The ongoing backlash may lead to stronger copyright protections and clearer regulations governing the use of creative works in AI training. System 🤖 OpenSubtitles.org 🔗 Developer: Anthropic, Apple, Bloomberg, Meta, Nvidia , Salesforce Country: USA Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Generate te xt Technology: Chatbot; Generative AI; Machine learning Issue: Cheating/plagi arism; Copyright; Transparency Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️ The Atlantic. There’s No Longer Any Doubt That Hollywood Writing Is Powering AI

Date it happened

2024-11-01

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.